The Perfect Connection
by queenduckie
Summary: ANNOUNCEMENT Five years after losing touch w Gordo, Lizzie is set up to be on a reality dating show. Wait! By some chance, She is set up with Gordo and forced to live with him for a few weeks. Good or bad?
1. Chapter One

Summary: Lizzie and Gordo lost touch after high school, and now, five years later both are finished with college. Lizzie's cousin bribes Lizzie to go on a blind date. Guess who her blind date is? Guess what the blind date involves? REALITY TV.  
  
A/N: Hey! This is my first story EVER, but I have been reading stories on this site for over a year. Anyway, I really hope you like this story and if you want to make me really happy, you can review. This chapter is the introduction of everything, like a prologue or something.  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Lizzie McGuire. I do, however, own Lizzie's cousin and the cousin's friend as well as Gordo's friend.  
  
The Perfect Connection  
  
Chapter One  
  
I Found Someone!  
  
Twenty-three year old Victoria Watson drove up to her best friend, Caroline Pike's apartment in Long Island. She got out of her brand new red Mercedes Benz and sighed. She had just driven from her parent's house outside of Albany.  
  
Victoria, or as her friends called her, "Tory," was nervous about seeing her friend because she had some bad news. A few months earlier, Caroline sent in an application for her friend, Tory, to be in the Blind Dating Reality show, "The Perfect Connection," and a few weeks ago, the producers called and told her that she would be a contestant. She made a commitment to the show, which meant she was not allowed to back out.  
  
Tory knocked on the door, and a few minutes later, Caroline answered the door, but she was also talking on her phone. "One sec," she mouthed to Tory, and she motioned for her to come in.  
  
"Aw Peter! That is so sweet! I can't wait to see you either!" Caroline said into the phone, and paused, "Well, I love you more. I will call you later okay? Bye!" Caroline said and she hit the "off" button on her cordless phone and hung it up.  
  
"Hey!" Caroline exclaimed to her best friend. Caroline walked over to give her friend a hug. After they pulled away, they went into the living room and sat down.  
  
"So, how are you? You look great, by the way!" Caroline said.  
  
Tory smiled, "Thanks. I am on a new diet."  
  
Caroline raised her eye brow, "A new diet, huh? Trying to impress your date?"  
  
Tory smiled and nodded her head, "Something like that. Actually, that is what I came over here to talk about."  
  
Caroline looked at her friend nervously, "Why do you need to talk to me? I mean, you have already signed a contract. You can't back out!"  
  
Tory frowned, "Are you sure, because I have to get out of it!"   
  
"Why?"  
  
Tory looked at her friend and sighed, "Because I met someone."  
  
"What??" Caroline said, with a mixture of happiness and anger, "I mean, but you knew you were supposed to go on this show and everything."  
  
Tory shook her head, "I know, I know. I just think this time this guy might really be the one, and I don't want to take the risk."  
  
Caroline sighed, "But we have the contract."  
  
"Can't we find a replacement?"  
  
"Like who? The show starts in a week. You have to be in Hawaii in a week!"  
  
"Well," Tory started, with a guilty face, "I was thinking about this, and don't you have that cousin, Isabelle or whatever her name is?"  
  
"You mean Lizzie?"  
  
Tory nodded her head, "What about her?"  
  
"I don't know," Caroline started, "I mean, I don't really talk to her that much, and we really aren't that close."  
  
"I know, but we are desperate! She was the only person I could think of that would work! Come on! Look! Lauren and I are both blonde and she could totally work as me. Come on? What are families for?"  
  
Caroline thought about this, "What if she doesn't want to do it?"  
  
"Make her! I really like this guy. I could see him being in my future permanently."  
  
"I'll tell you what," Caroline said, "I will e-mail her about it and try to convince her to do it. If, however, she can't do it, you have to do this."  
  
"Well," Tory said, "Better e-mail her now!"  
  
Caroline sighed, "I just hope she hasn't changed her e-mail address."  
  
"And that she is single," Tory added.  
  
~(LATER)~  
  
To: lizziem88@yahoo.com  
  
From: nycp98@netscape.com  
  
Subject: Lizzie!!  
  
Date: Sept. 8, 2012  
  
Dear Lizzie,  
  
Hey! How is life in California? Life in New York is dazzling as always, but I miss you. Don't become a stranger, girl! We need to get together sometime.  
  
Anyway, what do you think about Hawaii? I mean, have you ever been there? How would you like to go there all expenses paid, say. . . next week? I think it would be very romantic, and it would actually be doing me a favor. My friend, Tory, was going to go to Hawaii and be on this great reality show, but something came up and now she is unable to go anymore. Unfortunately, she signed a contract, and if she can't go, she may be in some legal trouble. I would do it myself, but I really need to be in New York right now.  
  
So, I was thinking, who do I really think would love this vacation? You know the first name that popped into my head? YOU! Yeah, you! I mean, think about it. You have never been to Hawaii and this would be a great opportunity for your future. All you have to do is go over to Hawaii and pretend that you are Tory. Of course, I will give you all the stuff you need to know and prepare for and it won't cost you anything. Please?  
  
Love you and respond as soon as possible!  
  
Caroline  
  
P.S. Remember that time we were at great-aunt Agatha's lake house and I rescued you from drowning in the lake. You told me you would do anything for me. Just think about it.  
  
~(A DAY LATER)~  
  
To: nycp98@netscape.com  
  
From: lizziem88@yahoo.com  
  
Subject: Re: Lizzie!!  
  
Date: Sept. 9, 2012  
  
Caroline-  
  
It was nice to hear from you after all these years. Although I don't appreciate the attempt in blackmail, its nice to hear from family every once in a while. Although I really don't think you care, California is a lot of fun. It's even greater after college.  
  
In answer to your question regarding Hawaii, I will have to pass on that opportunity. Not only do I think reality television is stupid, but I really don't want to be a victim of the show. Sure, Hawaii sounds great, but everything else sounds crazy. Besides, I really need some money, so I can't afford to get off of work for however long I am needed. Sorry.  
  
I love you,  
  
Lizzie  
  
P.S.- I was four when we were at Aunt Agatha's! I didn't know doing anything for you would involve this.   
  
~(LATER)~  
  
To: lizziem88@yahoo.com  
  
From: nycp98@netscape.com  
  
Subject: Re: Re: Lizzie!!  
  
Date: Sept. 9, 2003.  
  
Lizzie- I didn't think this would be blackmail, but fine. I guess I will find someone else to do it. It won't be nearly as good without you, but then again, someone else might be able to really use the $700,000 you get in the end.  
  
Talk to you at the next family reunion,  
  
Caroline  
  
~(LATER THAT NIGHT, AT CAROLINE'S)~  
  
RING!   
  
The telephone rang loudly. It was around nine at night. Caroline got up and saw that it was her dear cousin from her caller ID. She smiled as she picked up the phone.  
  
"Lizzie!" she said, "How are you?"  
  
"Good," Lizzie answered, nervously, "Listen, I changed my mind."  
  
"What are you talking about?" Caroline asked, obviously lying.  
  
"You know, about the offer. I'll take it!"  
  
"Oh, that!" Caroline said, "What made you change your mind, Liz?"  
  
"Well, to be honest with you, I could really use the money to pay for bills."  
  
"Oh," Caroline said, and she smiled, knowing that the money thing would reel her in, "Well, I am so glad you changed your mind."  
  
"Yeah, yeah," Lizzie said, annoyingly, "So, what is this all about?"  
  
"Oh, its really simple. All you have to do is pretend that you are my friend, Tory for a few weeks while you enjoy yourself in Hawaii."  
  
"What do I do in Hawaii?"  
  
"Oh, a lot of things. Most importantly, though, you live with a guy."  
  
"That's all?" Lizzie said, calming down.  
  
"Yeah, basically. It's called 'The Perfect Connection' Ever heard of it before?"  
  
"No," Lizzie said, "But that's okay. So, when do I have to be there and everything?"  
  
"I will have Tory send you some information about herself and the information regarding the trip tomorrow, okay?" Caroline said.  
  
"Fine."  
  
"Bye, Liz! It was nice chatting with you!"  
  
"You too!" Lizzie said, and she hung up.  
  
Caroline turned her phone off and turned it back on to dial Tory's number. Tory picked up the phone.  
  
"Tory?" Caroline said, "I have good news. Lizzie agreed to do it."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
A/N: I know that was a pretty bad first chapter, but it will get better as the plot develops and the trip starts. Please, if you have time, review. I know its pretty early on, but a few reviews would be very encouraging. I won't not post until five reviews or anything, but it would be cool. I will post the next chapter soon! 


	2. Chapter Two

A/N: Thanks for the reviews! Its so cool that you like this story. I hope you still like it.  
  
Disclaimer: See first chapter.  
  
Chapter Two  
  
Who Needs Enemies?  
  
Meanwhile. . .  
  
Twenty-three year old David Gordon had just arrived at his friend, Pete's apartment in Chicago.  
  
He knocked on the door and Pete let him in. "Ah, David! Come in!" Pete said, smiling.  
  
David entered the apartment and they went into the living room and sat down, "All right. Why did you call me and insist that I come over?" David asked.  
  
Pete smiled, "Remember a few months ago we made that bet?"  
  
"What bet?" David asked, confused.  
  
"You know, the bet about the Bears?"  
  
"THAT bet? That was over four months ago!"  
  
"Yeah, I know, and I also know that you lost that bet. You know what that means?"  
  
"No, you never determined the consequences."  
  
Pete nodded his head, "Yeah, I did, bro. Trust me. I just didn't tell you about it."  
  
David started to get up, "Forget it, Pete! It's too late. The bet no longer concerns me."  
  
"Dude, yeah it does! Sit down so you can find out what I am making you do."  
  
David slowly sat down, "Fine. What did you have in mind."  
  
"Actually, its already set."  
  
"Well, what is it?"  
  
"The good news is that it involves going to Hawaii."  
  
David nodded his head, "Okay. What's the bad news?"  
  
Pete smiled, "I wouldn't look at it as bad news. I say it is an opportunity."  
  
"Okay, well, spit it out," David said.  
  
"Well, my friend, you would be participating in a Reality TV show called 'the Perfect Connection.'"  
  
"What??"   
  
"I signed you up a few months ago, thinking this would be a perfect thing for you to do for losing the bet, and a few days ago, I got a call saying that they wanted you to do it."  
  
"Well," David said, laughing slightly, "You can call them and tell them that I am not doing it."  
  
"Too late."  
  
"What do you mean it's too late?"  
  
"I already signed the contract. You are leaving in less than a week."  
  
"What about work?"  
  
"I talked to Jerry, and he thought this was so funny, that it was worth you leaving for a few weeks."  
  
"Wait- how long?"  
  
"Two or three weeks," Pete said.  
  
"No way! I am not going to be on reality television. That stands for everything I am against!"  
  
"Come on! It's too late. It will be fun! You get to meet great girls and get to go to Hawaii."  
  
"Have you ever seen the show?" David asked.  
  
"No, but only because it is a new show."  
  
"Hah! Great, I am supposed to be an experiment."  
  
"You'll get paid."  
  
"So? No money is worth the possible embarrassment."  
  
"You are going, David. You hear me? You have to go and you will have fun, okay? And when it airs on TV in the fall, you will watch every single episode.  
  
David sighed, "I am not going."  
  
"Yes you are. It's too late to back out. Who knows? Maybe you will meet your future wife."  
  
"Inconceivable," David said, "I am not marrying any anytime soon."  
  
"That's because you haven't had a girlfriend since high school."  
  
"That's not true, Pete! Remember Rachel? I dated her for over a year."  
  
"Yeah, but she was also going out with someone else the whole time."  
  
David sighed, "So? I am young. I don't need a stable relationship to be happy."  
  
"Yeah, but you should probably have some sort of a relation with someone." Pete said.  
  
"You are probably right," David said, "But I don't need the extra pressure of cameras on me at all time in this pursuit."  
  
"Forget the cameras! Think of the opportunity. You get money, fame, and you get the free traveling. The girl will just be extra. Besides, you lost the bet, and I am not changing my mind. You have to do this."  
  
David sighed, "I can't believe I am doing this."  
  
"Look on the bright side," Pete said, "I gave them a different name, so it will almost be anonymous."  
  
"Unless someone I know watches this crap," David said.  
  
"So, they watch crap while you make it. Works for me."  
  
"And what do I do on this show?"  
  
"I don't know. They didn't say much. All I know is that you are living in a beautiful house with a girl for a few weeks. There is more to that, but that's all I know."  
  
"And I have to fall in love with her or something?"  
  
"No, the network isn't making you fall in love with each other. They are just making you live together and later you make the decision."  
  
"Then, what's the point?" David asked.  
  
"You will find out next week, buddy," Pete said.  
  
"Fine. I have to go and prepare for this thing," David said.  
  
"Good. That's the spirit! I will give you the information later."  
  
Gordo nodded and said good-bye to Pete and left and went to his apartment.  
  
Once at his apartment, he ate dinner by himself and started to read his book. However, his mind was distracted by this reality show. He was supposed to fall in love with someone. That would be hard for him, considering he hadn't really loved anyone since high school. Of course, he lost touch with the one he loved when he chose to go away for college while she chose to stay in California. The way it ended was ugly, and since then, he lost contact with her and everyone else. He made sure to avoid Hill Ridge, because it was his past.   
  
For the past five years, David tried hard to forget about Lizzie, his only love, but had never gotten over it. He thought he hated her, but then he realized that the hatred was just love in disguise. He still had a picture of her in his room.   
  
He couldn't bring himself to get over her. Since then, he focused on work and stayed away from social events. Partially because he couldn't let the past go, and also because another part of him thought that Lizzie would pursue him one day, and they would ultimately end up together.  
  
But, David had to admit; this was probably a good opportunity. Maybe this would help him get over Lizzie. It would probably also open him up a little. Yeah, he probably needed this experience. He just wished the rest of America had to watch him.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
A/N: I know this was another intro chapter, and pretty bad, but don't give up on it yet. There will be details of the break-up in later chapters and a few twists and turns, like most reality shows do these days.   
  
PLEASE REVIEW.  
  
Expect another chapter soon. 


	3. Chapter Three

A/N: Sorry it has taken me so long! Thanks for the reviews! I think you should know now before you get your hopes up, that I update pretty randomly. Thanks!  
  
On to Hawaii!  
  
The next week, David Gordon boarded his flight to Hawaii, still skeptical of this whole idea. He became even more mad when he received the information about the show. This show sounded insane.  
  
He, along with seven other people, three more guys and four girls would live in four houses. One guy and one girl to a house. The show pre-picked the couples, based on the questions they answered beforehand. As luck would have it, Pete answered those questions, and Gordo figured that his outcome would be really bad.   
  
Anyway, the couple shared the houses and were to get together every once in a while for some competitions and have all other sorts of chaos happen to them. The ending was a surprise, which as Gordo translated, the producers had no idea what they were talking about and this show was doomed.  
  
David was not looking forward to this at all. It all seemed so fake to him. Right before he left, he was given some information on his room mate. Her name was Tory and she was from New York. By her bio, he could tell that she was probably some snooty girl with an attitute. She had never had a job and lived with her parents. She also had a poodle and was trying to get into modeling.   
  
He almost felt stupid for getting mad at Pete for lying in his own bio. At least whatever he was suppose to be would not be the truth.  
  
~~~***~~~  
  
Lizzie McGuire got on her own flight and read over her information packet. She could not beleive she was doing this, but had to admit, she was kind of curious. This would be an experience of a lifetime, and the fact that she was playing someone else made her feel a little better.   
  
Lizzie re-read the bio she was given on her own housemate.   
  
His name was Daniel and he was an accountant from Chicago. He enjoyed golf, basketball, and hockey, and lived by himself in a small apartment and his hobbies were writing poetry in Latin, working on the computer, and one day he hoped to live on the moon.  
  
To Lizzie, this guy seemed like quite a character. She was a little suspicious about whether this was a lie, but tried to make the best out of it all. She just hoped by the end of this all, she wasn't expected to marry him or anything.  
  
All of this was stressing Lizzie out, especially the part where she was expected to be Tory. As she read about Tory, she realized that she would never be friends with Tory if she had the chance. She and Tory had nothing in common. Tory made anyone seem better.  
  
~~~***~~~  
  
That night, eight limosines were driven to the sight. Lizzie and David could not believe their eyes when they saw what was in front of them, because it was nothing like they expected.  
  
When all eight people were out of their cars, looking around in confusion, along with cameras all over, none of them knew what to think. Finally, a host came over, to introduce himself and explain the surroundings.  
  
"Good evening," the host said, "I am Ryan Philips and I this will be your home for the next several days." The host looked around and smiled cockily, "Now, some of you may be looking around and wondering what you have gotten yourselves into. I don't blame you. This does seem kind of strange. Look around you, and you see a mansion, a house, a smaller house, and a trailor. Raise your hand if you are confused?"  
  
~~~***~~~  
  
A/N: Sorry this was so short. It seemed like a good stopping place. I would like to know whether to continue, so if you want to review...tell me.  
  
Heehee writing fics is a lot of fun. 


	4. Chapter Four

A/N: Wow! Thanks so much for all the reviews. I am so touched that so many people like this story.   
  
Also, I really don't like referring Gordo to David, so from now on I am calling him Gordo. Any objections?   
  
Chapter Four  
  
Off to an Interesting Start  
  
Everyone looked around them and most of the young contestants raised their hands. Both Lizzie and David, who had yet to notice each other because of the other events happening.  
  
Ryan Philips clapped his hands together and said, "Okay. Good! This will be explained later, but first, let me introduce everyone." Ryan went around the line and introduced everyone, and also told them not to move. When Lizzie saw Daniel, she could hardly believe what she saw. Daniel looked incredibly familiar. In fact, if his name wasn't Daniel, she was positive that it was Gordo.   
  
Gordo, who was looking at everyone in the group couldn't help but notice that Tory kept looking at him strangely. He thought it was out of curiosity at first, but then it dawned on him that Tory looked familiar. He thought she looked a lot like Lizzie, but he kept trying to convince himself that he was just imagining things. There are seven billion people in the world; some of them are bound to look like Lizzie. Tory especially looked like Lizzie, with her hair and eyes and everything, but it was impossible.  
  
After the introductions were made, Ryan went on to explain that evening's event. "This event will determine where you will be spending the rest of your stay in beautiful Hawaii." He said, and this caused quite a reaction from the crowd, "The mansion has a total of seven bedrooms and six bathrooms and all the floors are genuine marble. The first house has a total of two bedrooms and two bathrooms, as well as a beautiful kitchen and other great items. The second house is what we have called the "love hut," where it has a total of three rooms, including a bedroom, bathroom, and sitting room," he paused and everyone stared with fear at the last living quarter, "And this is a trailer. In here, there is one bed, a sitting area, a toilet, and an area for the kitchen. For the record, the couple who stays in this lovely quarter will take showers in the area behind them. Back there, they have a shower. Any questions?"  
  
All of the people looked around nervously. What had they gotten themselves into with this? No one said a word.  
  
"Okay, well, when we meet, we meet in the dining area of the mansion and we sometimes get together in the courtyard. You are never to go into the studio headquarters and you aren't allowed to talk to the person behind the camera," Ryan smiled as he looked at everyone, "Anyone hungry?"  
  
Everyone followed Ryan as he walked to the mansion and they all went inside to find a grand entrance. The mansion was really elaborate and beautiful. Ryan took them to the grand dining hall, where they found a huge round table with chairs and plates and candles all around. Their were also name plates, and instead of having to sit next to Daniel, like she thought she would, instead she sat next to two other guys, James and Thomas. They seemed really nice. James was a local in Hawaii and loved to surf. Thomas was a writer from Kentucky and wrote for the newspaper.  
  
They were served an elaborate 4-course meal including soup, salad, steak, and a dessert of chocolate mousse. As they sat, they chatted with themselves.  
  
Gordo was sitting next to two women, Mary and Jane. Mary was from Northern California and worked at a vineyard and Jane was a telephone operator from Miami. He sat there and talked with them. Jane was too talkative for him, but he did enjoy Mary. Mary seemed really nice and sweet.  
  
After finishing his or her chocolate mousse, Ryan interrupted everyone with a tap to his glass. Everyone stopped talking, and Ryan started talking, "Now, I am sure everyone is enjoying his or her stay at the mansion. Unfortunately, not everyone can sleep here tonight. That's right, we are going to have to split you up now, so I ask that you all stand up and find your roommate."  
  
With that, everyone stood up and found their roommate. Gordo walked up to Lizzie and introduced himself, "Hi. I am Daniel." This was the first time everyone formally met their roommate.  
  
Lizzie gasped. This had to be some sort of nightmare. Not only did Daniel look like Gordo, but he also sounded like Gordo. This wasn't. . .no it couldn't be. . .was it really Gordo? Should she say something?   
  
"Hi," Lizzie said and she gulped, "I'm Tory."  
  
Gordo nodded his head. Yeah, if this girl weren't Lizzie, he would be amazed. He didn't want to say anything or cause any trouble, but this was an awkward situation. He wondered if Lizzie realized what was going on. He decided to go with her flow and whatever she said.  
  
"Now this game is pretty simple," Ryan said, and he pointed to the things on the floor, "You all know how to play board games, don't you?"  
  
Everyone nodded his or her head, "Well, since the whole point of this game is about connection, we figured a great way to start and open you all up a little would be a healthy scrabble tournament. Two couples will be playing on one side and the other two couples will play on the other side, and the winners lay each other and so do the losers. The winner gets to live in the mansion, the runners up live in the house, the winners of the losers live in the hut and the losers of the losers live in the trailer. You may now begin with Daniel and Tory playing against Jane and Thomas on the board to your left and James and Elizabeth playing against George and Mary. Good luck!"  
  
Everyone walked over to their table with the board already set up for them. Lizzie and Gordo sat down across from Jane and Thomas and began. Gordo and Lizzie went first. "I have to warn you," Lizzie whispered into Gordo's ear, "I am not very good at this game."  
  
"Don't worry," Gordo whispered back, "My ex-girlfriend in high school and I used to play this and she was really bad."  
  
~~~***~~~  
  
A/N: What do you think? Is it confusing or anything? Also, which place do you think Gordo and Lizzie (or Daniel and Tory) should have to live? Find out the answer and more in the next chapter. 


	5. Chapter Five

A/N: Sorry it took so long. High school all the sudden got more intense. The reviews were amazing, though. You guys are wicked awesome!  
  
Haha. . .if you notice the names of the other people. . .Jane, Elizabeth, Mary, James, and George are all names of former kings and queens of England. I am sure there is a Thomas that was a royal at some point. Ha, Victoria was even a queen. Wow. . .school does have a big impact on things, doesn't it?  
  
Chapter Five  
  
Like Tory said, she was pretty bad at Scrabble. Tory and Daniel managed to easily lose the first round against Jane and Thomas. What made Daniel feel a little better about everything was the fact that Thomas was a writer and had warned them before that he got a perfect 800 on the verbal part of his SAT score. Jane wasn't too horrible at Scrabble herself. She seemed to know the game well, and together, Jane and Thomas made an invincible team. In the end, Jane and Thomas beat Daniel and Tory by a good two-hundred points.  
  
On the other side of the room, there was a close race between Elizabeth and James and Mary and George. In the end, however, Mary and George won with their last word, "Buzz," and that happened to be a triple word score.  
  
In the next round, Mary and George played Jane and Thomas while Tory and Daniel battled with Elizabeth and James.  
  
As they were playing, Lizzie decided that she didn't like Elizabeth. To her, Elizabeth seemed shallow and everything else she hated in other people. At least Lizzie was trying to play the game and participate. Elizabeth, on the other hand, wasn't showing any effort. On screen, it was a battle between the two couples. In Lizzie's mind, however, it was a battle between the two Elizabeth's. Lizzie hated the fact that they shared a name.  
  
James, on the other hand, seemed really nice. The show must have worked really hard to make sure that the couples were complete opposites. For instance, Lizzie thought, her cousin's friend would have hated anyone remotely similar to Gordo and that relation would not last at all. Maybe it was a good thing the real Tory didn't show up. If so, Gordo would be suffering tremendously.  
  
Wait. Did Lizzie just stick up for Gordo?  
  
As they played, Lizzie became more determined than ever. If it meant beating Elizabeth, she wanted the Love hut. She wasn't too crazy about the idea of the trailer in the first place, and this was a bigger reason to win.  
  
Also, she was working with Gordo. It would have to be ignored that they hated each other because they needed to work together. This way, she could prove that she was more than just a girl who wasn't very verbose whose SAT verbal scores ranged from a 390 to a 540. She worked hard to raise her SAT score, and she would have to work hard now. She needed that Love hut.  
  
The game was pretty close the whole time, but in the final words, as their were fewer letters to play, both became stuck. Elizabeth and James had two letters left, and James put them down to complete the word, "ZOOM" Since the Z was on a triple letter score, this was a big move. Lizzie carefully examined their one letter. It was "s." It could be easily added to some of the words to make it plural, and Lizzie suddenly saw an opportunity that would not only make them win, but it would be a slap in their face. Without even consulting Gordo, she put an "s" at the end of "ZOOM" making is "ZOOMS" and since the added s was on a triple word score, this gave Tory and Daniel 102 points, which let them win the game by over sixty points.  
  
The other game wasn't nearly as close and Thomas and Jane easily beat Mary and George.   
  
After this game, it was time to go to dinner in the mansion. Once everyone was seated, Ryan got up and said a few things.  
  
"Good game, everybody, good game. Now we know where everyone sleeps. Thomas and Jane, being the champions, will sleep here in the mansion; Mary and George will reside in the small house; Tory and Daniel will live in the Love Hut while Elizabeth and James will live in the very lovely. . .trailer. That's not all, however. I realize that everyone is still very unclear of the rules to this game, but the way this works is that everything will be explained as it happens. There are no points per say, but in the end, the viewers at home will pick the couple they think deserves the grand prize of a two-week vacation in Europe as well as one million dollars that they will split. Everyday there will be a competition and with all competitions, there will be prizes. There will be hidden prizes as well. For example, tonight, since Tory and Daniel ended up with the word with the highest point value, they will have a camera-free night tonight, meaning while the other three couples will be filmed, Tory and Daniel can enjoy an evening of getting to know each other privately. Enjoy your meal everyone and I will see you tomorrow."  
  
After dinner, everyone took turns with special daily interviews and then they were allowed to get settled in their home.  
  
Lizzie could tell this was going to be a long night for her, as she would be with Gordo. To make everything worse, the hut wasn't exactly big. The bedroom consisted of one full bed and very little floor space. "Great," she thought, "I can't make Gordo sleep on the floor."  
  
~~~~****~~~~  
  
A/N: I know it's slow but please review. I'll try to update within the next few days. 


	6. Chapter Six

A/N: Thanks. Let me make a clarification. Lizzie and Gordo both know who the other person is. When Lizzie thought about saying something in chapter four, she meant about telling someone she knows her partner. Sorry if that wasn't clear. Also, sorry this chapter took so long. I will tell you now, chapters will be inconsistent because of school and not trying to flunk my freshman year, you know?   
  
I want to make this story as interactive as possible. In other words, I would like the readers to have a little control over the story if possible. At the end of the chapter, I am going to ask a question to determine something in the next chapter. It might be as small as determining what Lizzie will wear the next day and it might be as large as determining the outcome.   
  
Chapter Six  
  
Lizzie was sitting on the bed contemplating about what to do about this whole thing. She couldn't blow her cover. She needed the money, but the situation with Gordo was cramping her style. Gordo wasn't dumb—he knew who she was and unless Gordo had some identical twin named Daniel in Chicago, she knew it was Gordo. She was glad that cameras were not on her tonight because she decided she needed to have a few words with Gordo and set some things straight.  
  
In the mean time, after Gordo was finished with his interview he walked toward his small hut that he was supposed to share with "Tory." Who was she trying to fool, anyway? It was so obviously Lizzie that he partly wanted to hurl. Why was Lizzie doing this smutty show? Why was she pretending to be someone she wasn't? Now, he would admit, Lizzie had a temper, but the sheet made her seem like a snob with no heart. If she wanted to be someone she wasn't, she could at least be someone a little nicer.  
  
He then thought about what he would say to her. She knew who he was and he knew who she was, but blowing their cover would be bad. Gordo hated to admit it, but he needed the cash. Sure, he was half hoping that the woman he was paired with was a beautiful person with an awesome personality, as that would help with getting the money, but part of the premise of the game was complete strangers connecting and he and Lizzie were not strangers and they didn't have a perfect history. There was a time when he thought he would live happily ever after with her, but this wasn't the time.  
  
He finally concluded that since cameras weren't on him tonight, he would talk to her and make sure they were on the same page. For as much as he hated her, he needed the money, so they would have to cooperate with each other and try their best. They couldn't back down. They had to become the perfect reality TV couple—get the money and break up as soon as the lull of them being together and it airing on TV happened. He only hoped Lizzie was in on this.  
  
Gordo walked in and saw Lizzie sitting there in her pajamas. Gordo looked at her and had to admit she looked sexy. She always did, no matter what she wore. Maybe that would work to his advantage. He nervously walked to the bathroom with his clothes and got dressed. Lizzie didn't say anything when she saw him, so maybe it would be better if he didn't say anything. He got on his pajamas and had to admit, this was something that he was going to have to get used to-wearing pajamas. He was used to wearing boxers to bed and was very tempted to do that. It wasn't like Lizzie hadn't seen him like that before. But, he finally decided that he should dress tastefully, as they were sharing the same bed, and it would be less awkward if he just wore pajamas. After he brushed his teeth, he came out of the bathroom. Lizzie looked at him and said, "Nice pajamas, DANIEL," she said, stressing the name, "Or should I call you Danny? Or maybe shorten it to Danny?"  
  
Gordo rolled his eyes as he climbed in bed, "Shove it, Lizzie. You and I know who we are, so you can calm down. I don't know why they put me with you of all people, but at least we have this night without the cameras so we can talk this over and get anything out of our system that needs to be out."  
  
Lizzie rolled her eyes, but she had to admit he had a point, "Fine. I don't know about you, but I really need money, so, if we can try for the next however many days to pretend to be madly in love with each other, I'll go along with it."  
  
Gordo nodded his head, "Well, at least we agree on something. I need the money, too, so I love you, too, Tory."  
  
Lizzie rolled her eyes, "I just want to clarify something before we go out there as the happiest couple in the world, and that is this: I don't know why the hell you are Daniel as opposed to David, and there is no doubt in my mind that you want to know why I am Tory and not Lizzie or Elizabeth, so, I'm going to tell you, okay? My cousin's friend backed out at the last minute. Her name was Tory, and she couldn't back out. I needed money, and I thought this could be kind of fun and a chance to get money."  
  
Gordo crossed his arms, intrigued, "You mean there is a Tory out there who fits the description I read about?"  
  
Lizzie nodded her head, "Yep, so look on the bright side, you could have ended up with her."  
  
"I would have adapted to her personality," Gordo said.  
  
"Yeah," Lizzie said, "But she would have killed you in the end. Anyway, enough about that. Now it's your turn. Why are you Daniel?"  
  
Gordo rolled his eyes and mumbled, "It was a stupid bet. I only found out I was doing it a couple of weeks ago."  
  
"Okay, fine," Lizzie said, as she sighed loudly. Silence lurked in the room, until she blurted, "Are we really going to have to sleep in the same bed this whole time?"  
  
Gordo nodded his head, "Yep. It could be worse, though. We could be in the trailer."  
  
"Actually, the trailer has bunk beds, so that might have been a sweeter deal."  
  
"Yeah, but what about the toilet?"  
  
Lizzie's nose scrunched up, "Ech! Maybe you have a point."  
  
"Yeah, I do."  
  
"And all we have to do is convince America that Daniel and Tory love each other, and we are set?"  
  
"Yep," Gordo said, "It might be a little harder than I anticipated, but we did it before in real life. Maybe we can bring some of that in the picture."  
  
"Yeah," Lizzie said distantly, "Maybe."  
  
Lizzie turned off her light and Gordo turned off his and pretty soon they were both asleep. It wasn't easy sleep though, as they were both worried that maybe this wouldn't work out and maybe America wouldn't buy that they were in love with each other.  
  
~~~***~~~  
  
A/N: Well, they got through their first night and the next chapter will deal with the first official day. Now its question time (see beginning author note)  
  
What happened to Lizzie and Gordo in the past? It was a painful break up.  
  
Did a) they break up over college decisions and wanting to go different places? b) Gordo proposed and Lizzie said no because they were young and she wanted more experience with guys before settling down or c) a complicated series (between prom and going off to college) of cheating, plots for jealousy, and lies that resulted in a huge blowout even though it was a huge misunderstanding to begin with.  
  
If you have an opinion, drop me a review and if you don't, please review anyway and I will try and get an update by Friday. 


	7. Chapter Seven

A/N: Thanks for the reviews. I told you I'd try to update by Friday. Anyway, about this interactive business, just because the question is asked doesn't mean that the results will appear in the next chapter necessarily. I mean, if my some case I write more than one chapter at a time that just wouldn't be possible. Anyway, thanks for voting and I hope you like the story.  
  
Also, there's about to be a slight twist in this reality show.  
  
Oh, and TKDScorpius, is what you were trying to say a vote because that is kind of along the lines of C.  
  
Chapter Seven  
  
The next morning, Lizzie and Gordo woke up to the sound of knocking on their door. Gordo looked over at Lizzie who just turned her head away and covered her head with her pillows. "You want to get that?" Gordo asked.  
  
"No. I'm supposed to be a snob on this show, remember?"  
  
"Ugh," Gordo said and he started to get up, "Fine. I'll get it!" He disappeared from their bedroom and answered the door to find some middle-aged woman with a headset on the other side.  
  
The woman looked over Gordo, "Nice pajamas," she commented.  
  
"Thanks," Gordo said, still tired, he opened the door even more to let her in and yawned, "What time is it?"  
  
"Eight. You have a production meeting at nine," she said, "So you better hurry up." She let herself in.  
  
"What? A production meeting?? Why? I thought this was supposed to be reality television. You know, where everything that happens isn't acting."  
  
The lady shrugged as she looked at Gordo, "Yeah, well I hate to break it to you, but this isn't about reality, this is about ratings."  
  
Gordo raised his eyebrow and crossed his arms, "You mean to tell me that I might have to act?"  
  
The woman rolled her eyes, annoyed with the questions, "Yeah. You read the contract, didn't you?"  
  
No, he didn't. His name also wasn't Daniel, but he wasn't about to tell her that, so he smiled politely and said, "Fine, I'll be there at nine."  
  
"Good," the woman said, "and bring your partner if you can too, eh?"  
  
"Yeah, okay," Gordo said and the woman left and Gordo shut the door. He was familiar with production meetings, as he was a director. He knew that real reality shows didn't have them because real reality shows were about surprise. Now, all he had to do was tell Lizzie. He smiled, "Oh, Tory, darling," he called as he walked into the bedroom to Lizzie sprawled all over the bed. He may have hated her, but he had to admit she was beautiful, as she lay there so peacefully.  
  
Lizzie opened her eyes, to see Gordo standing there, "Oh, God, this isn't just a horrible nightmare!"  
  
Gordo rolled his eyes, "Yeah, yeah. Well, time to get up. We have a production meeting in an hour."  
  
"What's that?"  
  
"A meeting to go over the day's plans," he said as he walked over to his suitcases to look for something.  
  
"Wait," Lizzie said as she sat up, "I thought this was supposed to be reality."  
  
Gordo shrugged, "Yeah, well apparently, it isn't as real as we thought it was going to be."  
  
Lizzie rolled her eyes, "Great, Okay. Well, you go ahead and take a shower. I'm going to get something to eat."  
  
"No, you can take the shower first," Gordo said as he pulled a folder from his suitcase.  
  
Lizzie looked at him and then the folder, "What's that."  
  
"The contract. I want to look it over and see if there is anything else we need to know about this little game before we get too far into it."  
  
Lizzie shrugged, "Well, if you find anything, let me know."  
  
"Okay," Gordo said. Lizzie walked past him and into the bathroom. Gordo started skimming the contract, and stopped when he found the following statement:  
  
"The network holds the right to hold production meetings every day at a given time. There, the producers and contestants are to meet and discuss the day's upcoming events. The network holds the right to request certain acts of conduct, such as talking, fighting, kissing, and any other act that may come up. The network also holds the right to ask that you say certain things to particular persons. If you do not agree to do something the network asks you to do, we hold the right to dismiss you from the show and sue you for $100,000."  
  
Of course, it was in small print, so Gordo never saw it before, and now he was furious. Basically, the networks were telling the contestants to act out everything. This wasn't reality, this was a sitcom. The producers of this show might as well hand them a script and give them props. Gordo was just about ready to pull out of the show when he came across another paragraph.  
  
"The winner(s) at the end of the show will receive the sum of money that they were told they would be given. However, everyone else will also be given $50,000 for cooperating with the network, unless you break one of the codes of conduct or do not cooperate with the producer."  
  
So despite this all being a scam, it was also an acting job? Gordo still wasn't crazy about this whole idea, but he decided he couldn't break the contract. Well, he could, but he knew he couldn't afford to break the contract.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
A/N: Sorry it was so short, but the next question involves the production meeting. Are you all clear what is happening with this? This show is pretty much a set-up and everyone who participates is acting.  
  
Anyway, Among other things, what should happen in today's production meeting?  
  
a)The producers ask "Tory" to dress more provocatively to fit her image?  
  
b)The producers ask that a couple stages a fight (not Tory and Daniel)  
  
c)Or the producers ask that someone flirts with someone other than their chosen partner?  
  
The next chapter should either be really long or there will be three coming at once or something. Please have patience as I will try to do something this weekend, but I can't make any promises. As always, if you have the time, review and tell me what you think by e-mail (tabbag7@yahoo.com) or review. Thanks! 


	8. Chapter Eight

A/N: Only one person reviewed last chapter. That's fine with me because it makes determining what happened next a whole lot easier for me. Thanks, xey, for your input on the production meeting. I have some ideas of my own and I like the way your ideas flowed into my ideas. One of those things will happen in another production meeting.   
  
Chapter Eight  
  
That morning, in the Love hut, a 24-by-24 foot space made of wood and consisting of three small rooms, a door that led to the kitchen and the kitchen that led to the bedroom and in the bedroom, a small room connecting to the bathroom, were two unhappy people  
  
Once Lizzie got out of the shower, she turned to Gordo, in her towel and said, "So? Did you find anything interesting?"  
  
Gordo handed Lizzie the contract and she sat down on the bed to read it. Gordo didn't mean to, but as she sat down, her towel went up and he couldn't help but see a certain part of her body that he was pretty sure she didn't want him to see. He didn't realize he was staring at it until he heard, "Ew! Gordo! You pervert!" and she got up frantically, and pulled her towel up closer to her. "What were you thinking?"  
  
Gordo looked away quickly and said, "I didn't see anything! I swear."  
  
"Liar!" Lizzie said and she threw the paper at him, "I can't do this! This isn't worth it! I can't pretend that I love you. I hate you too much! You are a selfish pervert who needs to get a life!"  
  
"Lizzie!" Gordo said, panicking because as much as he hated her, he couldn't afford to be sued, "I didn't see anything! I promise. Besides, do you really want to get sued for money you don't even have?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"Here," Gordo said and he shoved the contract back to her as he walked to the shower, "Read it again. I'm taking my shower." He slammed the door.  
  
Lizzie flicked the slammed door off and got her clothes from her suitcase and got dressed. Once she was dressed, she read over the contract and found that if they broke it off, they would be sued. Lizzie had to agree with Gordo in that she needed the money, but there had to be some way out of this. Maybe they could stage a fight or something at the production meeting and the producers would see that they are anti-whatever the show wants.  
  
Gordo came out of the shower with a towel around his waist. Without looking up, Lizzie said, "We need to have a fight."  
  
Gordo turned around and looked at Lizzie, "What?"  
  
"I am saying we need to have a fight in that production meeting so they will let us leave. Are you in?"  
  
Gordo shook his head, "Are you crazy??"  
  
"No, I want to get out of here."  
  
"So do I," Gordo said as he turned around and dropped his towel.  
  
"Ugh," Lizzie said, covering her eyes, "Could you show a little more modesty?"  
  
Gordo didn't respond as he put on some boxers and the rest of his clothes.  
  
"What type of fight do you have in mind?" Gordo said, turning around.  
  
Lizzie shrugged, "Something believable enough."  
  
"Like. . ." Gordo said.  
  
"Like you calling me a slut or something."  
  
"So I have permission to call you a slut?"  
  
"No! I mean, wait. We have a problem. I am supposed to be my cousin's friend. I can't do this to her!"  
  
"So you mean we're still in?"  
  
Lizzie sighed, "Yeah, I guess so."  
  
A few minutes later, after they ate breakfast, Lizzie and Gordo headed to the mansion for the production meeting. They were the second couple to arrive after Thomas and Jane, who lived in the mansion. Pretty soon, Mary, George, Elizabeth, and Jane arrived. The meeting began after Ryan Philips, the host, came in. While everyone was seated, three official looking people came in, two men, one older who was balding and the other who looked like he was about ten years older than everyone, and one woman, who was blonde and looked like she was in her forties, stood up.  
  
"My name is Gracie," she said, "And this is Ted (older man) and Greg. We are the producers of this lovely show. Every morning, we will meet here and discuss the days events and what we want to happen."  
  
No one said anything, until Ted spoke up, "As you may know, this show will be featured on cable TV. Now, we don't know about you, but we want to top the charts on our time slot and have high hopes of setting records for this station with you. This means that all of you are going to have to cooperate with us. We want everything that happens to seem believable, however, because we want viewers from all demographics, we realize we have to appeal to everyone. This means we want everything from sex to drama to action on this show. In the meetings, we will tell you what we want you to do. As you know, failure to cooperate means we can sue you."  
  
Again, the room was silent. Ted and Gracie looked at Greg, who was about to speak, "Now, here is the agenda for today. Now, let's start with Mary and George. You two seem like the perfect couple. Maybe not today, but I think we might want to take advantage of that 'perfect couple' angle. Today, I want you two to spend some time together looking like you are having a good time and Mary, if you could, flirt with him a little."  
  
Mary and George looked at each other and nodded their heads. Lizzie and Gordo noted that it was weird that they were going along with this idea so easily. Maybe they were supposed to know this the whole time.  
  
"Now, for Elizabeth and James, you are in the trailer and I want Elizabeth to complain about that and James to complain about Elizabeth as a result. That should make great sex later." The couple nodded their heads.  
  
"For Jane and Thomas, I want to see if we can have a little bit of awkwardness between the two of you. Maybe mixed emotions. We have tape of you talking last night, and maybe have a little bit more conversation."  
  
That couple nodded their head and it seemed that all heads were then turned to Lizzie and Gordo. Greg looked at them for a few minutes as he seemed to be in deep thought, "This couple could be the toughest couple of the four. With your backgrounds and everything, you should hate each other, but yet I see you and it looks like you two could be the most interesting couple. Man, I am so excited because I can't wait until you two have sex," he said and he shrugged, "Not now, of course, but we will give it a few days. Anyway, for today, I think Danny should pretend to be optimistic about the whole relationship. The optimism should come from the night without the cameras, which was a chance for you to talk about your life. And for Tory, I think you should show a little pessimism with him today, like you aren't really sure what you think of him, but you don't really see yourself with him romantically."  
  
Lizzie and Gordo exchanged uncomfortable glances with each other a few times as Greg said all of this, especially the comment about the sex, but knew they couldn't say anything. As they sat there when he finished, confused about this whole thing, Greg said something as if he had an epiphany. "And you know what?" he said, pointing at Tory and Daniel, "I think it would be interesting if you two were the first couple to kiss. And I am not talking about a small peck, mind you. It will happen casually, of course, and it should happen tonight, after the competition and before dinner, the couples will have drinks and Tory should be sitting next to Daniel and Daniel should lead her off into the corner and they should talk and that's when the first kiss should happen."  
  
Gracie gasped, "That's brilliant!"  
  
"Yeah, I think that would work," Elizabeth chimed in. Lizzie gasped. What was going on here? This was all a scam and everyone was in on it except them.  
  
"Now, we want you to go back to your houses and we want to get footage of each other you walking out of the house. After that, we want interviews and after that, you will have lunch and then competition will begin. Today, we are playing game to see how much you know about each other. The winners will receive a palm pilot. I don't really care who wins because we want to make the competition as believable as possible."  
  
After the meeting, everyone walked to their houses and as soon as Lizzie and Gordo were safe and secure, Lizzie closed the door, looked at Gordo and said, "Something is going on here. The producers think we are actors like the other six members and the other people seem to know they are acting."  
  
"Yeah, I know," Gordo said, sitting down at the kitchen table, "Maybe Pete and Tory knew about this and just forgot about it."  
  
"Maybe," Lizzie said, sitting down next to him, "But its such a big piece of information, how could they forget to tell us."  
  
Gordo shrugged, "Well, I know Pet would put me up to something like this and your cousin's friend is probably a little forgetful. I think the joke is on us, Lizzie."  
  
"Yeah," Lizzie said, "In more than one way." She said, looking at him and crossing her arms, "I hope they realize I am not having sex with you."  
  
"Relax," he said, "Because they can't make us have sex. They can imply that we are having sex, but they can't make us actually have sex."  
  
"Good," Lizzie said.  
  
A few minutes later, there was a knock on their door and on the other side was Greg, and he let himself in. Looking at Lizzie and Gordo he spoke up, "Now, when you leave this hut, I want Daniel to open the door and let Tory out and then Daniel will come out, closing the door behind him. I want Tory to be looking down as she walks and Daniel to be looking down as well. I want you to walk to the mansion with Daniel behind Tory the whole time. We are going to add your comments to the track when it airs."  
  
"Okay," Lizzie said.  
  
"Good, let's go then."  
  
Cameras were waiting outside and Greg went out of the shot and watched. Gordo rolled his eyes as he opened the door and let Lizzie out, and Lizzie came out and started walking down the steps, but being the ditz she was, she tripped and fell down the remaining five stairs. Gordo's immediate response was to run down and see if Lizzie was alright, "Are you okay?" he asked.  
  
"Yeah, I'm fine," Lizzie said.  
  
Gordo waited for someone to say "Cut!" but it never happened so he continued. He helped her get up and they headed toward the mansion. Lizzie was unhurt, but just to make sure, Gordo walked next to her instead of behind her, forgetting that he was supposed to act for a minute. Once they reached the mansion and were inside, they heard Greg yell "Cut! That was perfect! I like that you helped her when she fell." Greg walked away and looked like he was heading for the small house.   
  
Once Lizzie and Gordo were inside, they saw Gracie walk up to them and she turned to Lizzie and said, "Tory, are you ready for your interview?"  
  
Lizzie nodded her head, "Yeah, I guess so."  
  
Gracie led Lizzie to a room with a camera and a guy holding cue cards, "If you could read off these cue cards, that would be great. Just don't read them like you are reading off of something."  
  
Lizzie looked at the cue cards. This was ridiculous. Everything was staged. She began reading, "Last night, I had the opportunity to get to know Daniel without the cameras. We stayed up and talked a little, but it was nothing too special. He seems like a nice guy, but I'm not sure if I like him romantically or anything yet. I guess we'll see."  
  
Gracie let her go after a few times of her reading the cards and then asked her to get Daniel. Lizzie rolled her eyes as she walked downstairs and saw Gordo standing there waiting, "Your turn, Danny."  
  
"Thanks," he said and he walked upstairs and went into the interview room where there were cue cards.  
  
"What do I think of Tory? Well, initially, I thought I might have problems with her, but now I don't know. After talking to her last night, I got a whole new impression about her and right now I don't know what I feel. Maybe I will fall in love with her, but right now, I don't know. She's a beautiful person and all I know right now is that I can't wait to spend the next few days getting to know her even more."  
  
After Gordo finished the interview, he was let go and he was so relieved. He hated that he was supposed to be in love with her. This was ridiculous.  
  
All four couples eventually came for lunch, and the cameras started rolling as they ate and hate conversations about little things, like pets and blind date horror stories. As fake as this all seemed, Lizzie had to admit that all these people were nice and she did enjoy hearing them talk. The lunch also made Gordo feel a little more comfortable. He liked most of the other people and the conversation was entertaining. He decided maybe he should try to make the best out of this situation and just see what happens.  
  
At one point, he caught a glimpse of Lizzie laughing and he didn't really know why, but seeing her laugh made him smile. Maybe, he thought, he and Lizzie can end up being friends after this. Neither of them ever talked everything out, and in some ways, Gordo felt that he and Lizzie never officially broke up.  
  
~&~&~&~&~&~&~  
  
A/N: Was that long enough? I'm working on this long chapter thing, and I think this was about double of what I usually write. Please review!  
  
I am upping the rating because of references to sex.  
  
Question 1:  
  
What will Lizzie think that night when Gordo is supposed to kiss her? (or the main idea of her thoughts a) This sucks. I can't believe I am doing this. First Gordo looks up my towel and now I am agreeing to let him kiss me. Eww! What is wrong with me? b) As much as I hate him, I have to admit I love the way he kisses. I mean, wow! He is incredible! Ohh, did I just say that? Or c) I can't let myself think too much about this, because if I read into this too much, I'll think things I am not supposed to be thinking, like having sex with him. Oh, too late.  
  
Question 2:  
  
What will Gordo be thinking when he kisses her? (again, main idea) a) I need the money, I am only doing this for the money. I do not like Lizzie. Yes, all I need to do is keep telling myself that so win. b) Alright, this does it. I can't even deny it anymore. I like Lizzie. Forget the past! Now all I have to do is hope that she likes me back. c) You know, this isn't as painful as I thought it was going to be. I forgot how much I liked the way Lizzie kissed and this reminds me. . .Lizzie is amazing in bed.  
  
**Note: I am fifteen (as of a few days ago) and I am not going to make this as raunchy as it may sound. These are initial responses, not what they are thinking about when they think about it longer. There will be references to sex (*gasp* she's using the word sex and she's only fifteen!) , but they will be "PG-13" and no more.  
  
Please review. I am not dependant on reviews, but they do help some and give me an idea of how I am doing. If no one votes, I am fine with whatever I choose because it is ultimately my decision with what happens. I am trying to give you, as the reader, a little say in the process and maybe a little power. Thanks.  
  
*Quack 


	9. Chapter Nine

A/N: I've made my decisions, but I'm not sure you were clear on what you were voting for. Whatever they think will be what they think the moment the kiss happens. This will be carried in to when they think about it later, but you have to take into account that they have at least a week here. It's a little confusing right now, but maybe as the story happens, it will all get a little clearer.  
  
As for reality TV, this is my opinion, but with a lot of reality TV, I have to question the reality of it, but this isn't my "anti-reality TV" statement (this story, anyway) Actually, some of the shows are fun to watch every now and then. I tried to make the premise of the show I am writing about as real as possible without targeting a specific show. If you see a show like this in the future or now, I apologize. In some ways, this story will make fun of reality TV, but there's a real story to it.  
  
Also, in case you are wondering, Lizzie and Gordo are Tory and Daniel (Danny) when they are supposed to be in character. Lizzie and Gordo express thoughts.  
  
Chapter Nine  
  
That day's competition, which involved a three-mile hike up a nearby mountain, caused a few troubles within the couples. The couples were told to establish themselves on the hike, and with this, came a fight.  
  
Right as they were leaving, Greg [producer] pulled Daniel and Tory aside and told them that there had been a slight change of plans. Greg wanted Tory to start complaining about the hike about halfway up the mountain and have the complaining become more and more apparent as they continued up, and finally, when there about a half a mile away from the top, have Tory stop and make Daniel stop. After resting a few minutes, Tory will be ready to give up and take a disqualification, but Daniel, who wants to get it over with, offers to carry Tory on his back the rest of the way.  
  
Upon hearing this, Lizzie and Gordo looked at each other, Lizzie rolled her eyes and Gordo sighed. If one thing was for certain, the producers were not making this easy for the former couple. After Lizzie walked away, Gordo stayed behind and said, "This means we don't have to kiss tonight, right?"  
  
Greg gasped, "You know, I forgot about that. Thanks for reminding me. Yes, I think you two should kiss tonight," he said, smiling, like this was his most devious idea yet.  
  
"Are you sure? I mean, will it really seem real if we kiss after I carry her?"  
  
"Danny," Greg said, putting his arm on Gordo's shoulder, "We want you to be happy to carry Tory the rest of the way. You are a gentleman and carrying her the rest of the way would not only be romantic but it would probably impress her."  
  
Impress her? Who was he trying to impress? Despite not wanting to do this, he decided refusing wasn't worth the chance of having to leave without money. He went to catch up with Lizzie, who was watching James and Elizabeth. "Quit staring," he said, coming up from behind her. This caused Lizzie to jump.  
  
Lizzie looked at Gordo and rolled her eyes, "Why do you care?"  
  
"Whoa. . .no need for the rudeness. Believe it or not, I was trying to get us out of having to kiss tonight."  
  
"Really?" Lizzie said, developing a smile, "And. . ."  
  
"We're still kissing," Gordo said, quickly wiping the smile off of Lizzie's face.  
  
"Ugh," Lizzie said, pulling her hair back, "Why me?" She asked to no one in particular.  
  
"It could be worse," he offered, "They could have us jump in the bed tonight or something."  
  
Lizzie shrugged, "Yeah, thank God that's not happening."  
  
". . .Yet," Gordo added, just to further get on Lizzie's nerves.  
  
Lizzie opted not to respond as she placed her attention back on Elizabeth and James. Elizabeth was talking and smiling with James, "I thought they were supposed to be complaining about their trailer," Lizzie said.  
  
"Yeah, when the cameras are rolling. We can do anything we want to when they aren't."  
  
Lizzie rolled her eyes. Not that she didn't agree with him, but she wanted to give him the impression that simply the sound of his voice disgusted her. However, this only further egged Gordo on, "Might we say that a certain person is developing a crush on James?"  
  
Lizzie ignored him. Well, at least she tried to make it seem as if she was ignoring him. In real life, she knew that for her, having a crush on anyone was a joke. After her thing with Gordo ended (the thing that lasted almost four years) she decided to take a break from guys in general. The break became a way of life to her. She knew that everyone she dated would have to compare to Gordo and as much as she hated him, deep down, she kind of still loved him.   
  
Gordo didn't have time to pester Lizzie anymore about this, as Ryan Philips appeared and cameras were cued. Everyone listened to Ryan as he explained what would happen and everyone prepared to start the hike. "There are two parts to this mission, and speed is only a small part of it. A true connection involves a lot of elements. The element we will be focusing on today is strength," Ryan explained and went on to explain more things. .  
  
A few minutes later, they started. Each couple had their own route to take. Lizzie almost forgot what Greg told her until they reached the half-way point, when Gordo, who was a few steps ahead of her looked back and said, "How are you feeling, Tory?"  
  
"Okay," Lizzie started to say, but then remembered the game, "I mean, my feet are killing me, but I'll live."  
  
"Okay," he said. He didn't know what else to say.  
  
The trip was pretty much silent, with the occasional Tory's complaint about her feet, but Danny kept encouraging her. Finally, as if on cue, right when they reached the 2.5 mile mark, Tory stopped and sat and dropped to the ground, "Hold on," she said.  
  
Danny looked back and looked worried, "Are you okay?" he said rushing to her side.  
  
"Yeah," Tory said, holding her feet, "But my feet feel really bad. Can we rest for a few minutes?"  
  
Danny nodded his head, "Yeah, of course," he knelt down next to her as Tory took her shoes and socks off. To Gordo, they looked fine, but he knew that wasn't something he should say.   
  
Tory looked as if she was in pain, "See those blisters," she said showing him the sides of her feet.  
  
Of course, nothing was wrong with her feet, but Gordo went along, "Yeah, those look pretty nasty."  
  
"Yeah, and they hurt a lot."  
  
"Well, what do you want to do?" Daniel asked.  
  
Tory shook her head, "I don't know. I don't know if I can take the pain much longer. I can hardly walk. Maybe we should just stop."  
  
"Stop? But were almost there! Here, why don't you let me carry you?" he said.  
  
"Are you sure about that?" Tory asked.  
  
Daniel started getting up and offered her his hand. Tory took it and stood up. She hopped on Daniel's back as she carried her shoes and socks in her hands. Luckily for Gordo, Lizzie wasn't heavy and carrying her for a half a mile wasn't as strenuous as he thought it would be. It slowed them down a little, but they got there. When they reached the top, the other couples were already there, waiting for them. They weren't far behind, but Jane and Thomas won. Their prize was a PDA system as well as a romantic evening together that night away in the special dining room while the rest had a barbecue together.  
  
They were driven off the mountain and back to their head quarters. By the time they got back, it was late in the afternoon and they had about an hour to kill before they were supposed to meet up for drinks and dinner.  
  
In this time, Lizzie and Gordo went back to their hut to take showers and dress up for the evening. They were told to dress in collared shirts and casual dresses. The cameras didn't follow them as they were taking showers and getting dressed, but in the last twenty minutes they had to kill, cameras appeared "just for footage of them getting ready" and before they knew it, it was time to go to the barbecue.  
  
Cameras filmed them as they walked to the barbecue area and started to meet the other couples, including Jane and Thomas, for drinks. Jane and Thomas would later go off and share a romantic dinner.  
  
When asked what they wanted for drinks, Gordo ordered a scotch and Lizzie ordered mineral water, which surprised Gordo, "Don't you want to get hammered before we have to kiss?" he whispered.  
  
Lizzie rolled her eyes for the umpteenth time for him that day, "As tempting as that is, and believe me it's tempting, I don't drink alcohol."  
  
"Oh, well excuse me," he said, taking a sip of his scotch and putting it down on the table, "Two can play that game."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"I mean," Gordo said, "I am not going to make an ass out of myself and get drunk while you sit and laugh at me, soberly. Besides, too much alcohol can be dehydrating."  
  
Lizzie shrugged, "Fine with me."  
  
Gordo looked over and noticed the cameras pointing at them. Taking quick action, he took Lizzie by the waist and led her to sit down on one of the chairs. He sat down next to her and said the first thing that came to his mind, "So, do you like baseball?"  
  
Lizzie knew what he was up to because she noticed the cameras and nodded her head, "Baseball is okay. Do you play any sports?"  
  
After engaging in pointless talking for a few minutes, Mary, followed by George, approached them, "Mind if we join you?" Mary asked, sitting down in a chair across from Lizzie.  
  
Lizzie smiled, somewhat thankful that she wouldn't have to be stuck conversing with Gordo all night, pleasantly, no less. Eventually, the other couples joined in.  
  
After talking for a while, enjoying the conversation, Lizzie and Gordo sort of lost track of time. It wasn't until Gordo excused himself to go to the restroom that Greg approached him and told him he better start making a move. "Remember, the kiss should be passionate and come from the heart."  
  
Gordo returned, not really knowing what to do. He sat down in his chair and eyed Lizzie. How was he supposed to do this? It had to be gradual, right? Slowly, he reached over and placed his hand on Lizzie's knee. Looking at the expression on her face, Gordo could tell she didn't really like it. She smiled at him, somewhat forced and put her hand over his and rubbed his hand. She suspected he was "coming on to her" in preparation for the kiss. She knew this wasn't his fault, but he found this really annoying. While she wished she didn't have to do this at all, the other part of her just wanted to get it over with.  
  
After a few more minutes, Lizzie, as she was paying attention to another person talk, looked over at Gordo and squeezed his hand tightly. Gordo took the signal and leaned over and whispered into her ear, "Let's just get this over with."  
  
To anyone looking at them, it looked like he was whispering something sweet or nice into her ear, but what Gordo said had neither sweet or nice intentions. Lizzie looked at him, smiled, and nodded her head, "Okay."  
  
Both of them started to get up, "And where do you think you two are going?" George asked.  
  
Lizzie looked at Gordo and panicked. They already knew where they were going. "Off for a little rendezvous?" Jane added. The rest of the people laughed.  
  
Gordo smiled and clapped his hands together; "Actually, Tory and I are going for a walk if you'll excuse us."  
  
"Sure," George said, and the other five laughed, "Well, have fun, you kids."  
  
Gordo rolled his eyes and took Lizzie's hand as they walked off. Of course, a camera was following them wherever they went. Once they were at the side of the mansion, Gordo stopped and paused. He slowly turned to Tory and smiled. Everything he did and said right now had to be perfect and believable. Tory smiled back and looked down, and then back at Daniel.  
  
"So," Daniel said, "How are your feet?"  
  
Lizzie couldn't help but laugh. "Nice opening," she said, trying to stay in character.  
  
"Yeah," Daniel said, smiling back, "what can I say? I'm a charmer."  
  
"They're fine," Tory said, "A lot better."  
  
Gordo took a deep breath. He knew he couldn't keep the conversation, "You know, Tory, you look really beautiful tonight." He took both her hands, "You're not at all what I expected you to be. In fact, you're even better."  
  
Tory smiled and looked into his eyes, "Thanks. You aren't so bad yourself. I'm glad I get to spend this experience with you."  
  
Daniel tucked a piece of Tory's hair behind her head and took one step closer to her and moved his hands to around her waist. Then, he slowly leaned in and she did the same and kissed. It was really awkward on a personal level for the both of them, but somehow, it wasn't like either of them expected.  
  
For Lizzie, she expected it to be gross. Not because Gordo was a gross person, but because of their past. Instead, though, it wasn't as bad as she thought. As much as she hated him, kissing him brought back memories. . .good memories. "Wow," she thought, "Why am I liking something I am supposed to hate? I'll admit that I always thought Gordo was a great kisser, but this feels amazing! Whoa. . .that is so not something I am supposed to be thinking."  
  
Gordo didn't really know what to expect when he leaned in, but he had to admit: kissing Lizzie after all these years felt good. As someone who hadn't seriously dated anyone since Lizzie, this kiss was incredible. As his lips continued touching hers, it felt more and more natural and comfortable. It was almost like old times, and Gordo remembered the old times very well . . .Lizzie was an amazing kisser, "All right," he thought, "If Lizzie wants to, maybe we can end up as friends . . .with benefits. Okay, Lizzie would definitely not go for that but still, she is a damn good kisser and if I remember correctly, Lizzie is not bad at the whole sex thing either."  
  
After several seconds had passed, Lizzie heard a soft moan and when she realized the moan was coming from her, she quickly broke the kiss, suddenly feeling even more nervous than before. She had to play it off and smile, but inside she felt confused. What ever happened to just simply hating Gordo?   
  
Gordo was sort of lost in his own thoughts as he kissed Lizzie. When she broke it off, it sort of surprised him at first, but then he remembered it was Lizzie: the one girl he wasn't supposed to like. In a way, today gave him a different perspective of Lizzie.   
  
^~^~^~^~^~^~  
  
A/N: What did you think?  
  
Honestly, I don't have a question for the chapter that you can vote on. The next chapter should be up by Friday, but hang in there if it takes a little longer 


	10. Chapter Ten

A/N: I'm back! Did you miss me? Okay, so I was only gone for a few days, but still. It's nice to be missed. Thanks for the reviews. Its good to know people are reading the story. I realize its not Friday, but it is Saturday, so have a fun day.  
  
Chapter Ten  
  
Not wanting to deal with the awkward silence for too long, Gordo spoke up, "Well, we better go join the group."  
  
Lizzie nodded her head, "Yeah, we don't want to keep them waiting."  
  
Together, Lizzie and Gordo walked back to the rest of the group, saying nothing on their way there. Everyone looked at them as they walked back, "Where have you two been?" George asked, smiling.   
  
"Away," Daniel said.  
  
"Oh," George said, sarcastically "That explains it."  
  
Gordo rolled his eyes. All he really wanted to do was be alone right now, especially not around Lizzie. That way, he could think about what happened back there at the side of the house. What he really wanted to know was what Lizzie was thinking. She didn't seem disgusted about it after it happened.  
  
Soon, Jane and Thomas left for their romantic evening while everyone else started the barbecue. While everyone was outside enjoying the evening, they didn't sense the tension going on between two of the people in the room. They didn't notice that the two didn't say one word to each other since they were at the side of the house.  
  
At one point, Lizzie got up to go get more water, and on her way there. Greg stopped her, "Tory, I just want to say, great action back there with Daniel. In fact, it was so great I want to see more. I think you should give him a long goodnight kiss tonight before you go to sleep."  
  
"What?" Lizzie asked, not expecting this at all.  
  
"Yeah, you know, one of those kisses that seem to last forever but only last a couple of minutes. Why? Are you not up for it?"  
  
Was she? Was she willing to put the past behind her and just let what happens happen? "I don't know," she said.  
  
"Well," Greg said, "It's up to you, but personally, I think that would be a perfect ending for the night."  
  
"Okay, I'll do it" she said, before she thought about it too much. Actually, this was a harder decision than she expected it to be. That kiss back there made her think about everything. This is what she wanted, right?   
  
Lizzie went back at the table and was too nervous to say anything to Gordo about it. After they finished their meal, it was a little after ten and everyone went back to their home. Tory and Daniel headed back to the Love Hut, still remaining pretty silent. Gordo didn't know what to say and Lizzie didn't know when to kiss him.  
  
As they went through the kitchen and into the bedroom, Lizzie realized she was running out of time. Cameras were all on her and she had to do something.  
  
Once they went into the bedroom, Lizzie nervously closed the door. "Daniel," she said softly, walking closer to him.  
  
"Yeah?" he said, looking at her, and when he noticed she was walking closer to him, he didn't know what to think. He was leaning against the wall of their bedroom  
  
Lizzie wrapped her arms around his neck and started to speak, "I just want to thank you for such an incredible day."  
  
"It was pretty great, wasn't it?' he asked, realizing she was supposed to be Tory.  
  
Tory smiled, "Yeah. Thanks for carrying me and everything." And before he could say Thank you, she leaned in for a kiss. For the second time that night, they shared a kiss. At first, Gordo thought this was for the cameras, so he kissed her back, but after she didn't pull away for a few seconds and the kiss deepened, he couldn't help but wonder if there was any Lizzie in this kiss. The few seconds quickly turned into several seconds and Gordo, taken off guard, put his hands around her waist. When Lizzie didn't object or stop the kiss, he was really wondering what was going on however he didn't want to stop. He felt if Lizzie was the one to initiate the kiss, she should be the one to stop it. After a few minutes, Lizzie finally ended the kiss, and smiling said, "Goodnight," and gave him a smaller kiss as she let go of him and disappeared into the bathroom.  
  
Gordo watched as she left, still leaning against the wall. What just happened? Did Lizzie really just pin him against the wall and make out with him? Or did Tory just pin him against the wall. He heard the cameras leave and decided to get undressed. Most likely, he figured, Lizzie did that because of the cameras, but as improbable as the possibility of it being her choice to kiss him, he liked to think that maybe there was a little Lizzie in that kiss. He got into bed and thought about the evening's events. He had to sort this all out. He had to sort his feelings, his emotions, and what to say to Lizzie.  
  
In the meantime, Lizzie was in the bathroom getting ready for bed. As she brushed her teeth, she couldn't get her mind off of Gordo. The last time they talked to each other, Lizzie was pretty sure they would never see each other again. Their break-up was ugly and Lizzie didn't think she'd ever date again, but here she was, with Gordo, and the feelings she felt before the breakup were rising again. Right now she felt so uncertain about everything and didn't know what to do. She couldn't avoid Gordo for the rest of her life and she couldn't figure out what all this meant. She was stuck, but for the first time in a long time, happy. She was getting the feeling that Gordo was starting to feel the same way, but wasn't sure. She guessed that time would help her sort everything out.  
  
She left the bathroom and went to her side of the bed. Gordo looked like he was sleeping, but what she didn't know what that he wasn't sleeping. His thoughts were on the same things that hers were on.  
  
Neither of them came up with any conclusions that night while they were thinking. Each of them were too confused to be logical, so Gordo thought of what it would be like to be married to Lizzie while Lizzie wondered how her life would be different if they never broke up. While both of them imagined these situations, no negative thoughts about the other person came up, in fact, both situations showed a perfect life of two people in love. Now, all Lizzie and Gordo had to do was figure out if they were in love.  
  
~&^&~  
  
A/N: I have a question this time.  
  
Which guy should Lizzie talk to and become friends with and make Gordo slightly jealous?   
  
James, Thomas, George, or Ryan [host]  
  
Whatever the outcome will happen after chapter eleven, so I will work on the next chapter. Have a good weekend. 


	11. Chapter Eleven

A/N: I'm updating! This is chapter eleven for me so be nice. Pretty soon, I am going to publish another story. This story is different, though, because, well, they are younger (like 16) and only see each other once a year (camp.) So, it's a campy story about friendship and love and all this other stuff. Please read it!  
  
Chapter Eleven  
  
The next morning, they had another production meeting. In this meeting, Greg told them that after seeing what happened in the rooms last night, it was time to establish some other feelings, like jealousy. For today, Tory and Danny should remain mushy toward each other because right now, their relationship was new and nothing should happen between them this soon. In the mean time, today, James and Jane should interact and sort of flirt with each other. This would make their partners jealous, even if nothing happens, and then tonight, James would assure Elizabeth that nothing happened, and after talking, end up okay, and then tonight. . .Elizabeth and James would have sex, bringing them closer together. After handling other small details, like small pecks and conversations with the couples, he excused them.  
  
Gordo made a decision to try to talk to Lizzie at some point during the day about the day before, to see what she would say. He made this decision last night while he was trying to go to sleep.  
  
After they were excused, they had their interviews, and Tory said wonderful things about Daniel coming from the producer's heart and so did Daniel about Tory. After the interview, they went back to their hut. They had free time for the next hour or so. As soon as they were there, Lizzie started to head toward the shower, but Gordo said, "Wait, can we talk for a second?"  
  
"About what?" Lizzie asked, looking at Gordo.  
  
Gordo looked for a place they could sit down and decided the kitchen was not suitable for this discussion, "Can we talk in our bedroom?"  
  
Confused, Lizzie agreed, so they went to the bedroom and sat down on the beds, "What is it, Gordo?"   
  
Gordo planned to talk to Lizzie, but he wasn't sure what he was going to say to her, "Lizzie, do you remember back in high school when we told each other that we would never give up on 'us'?"  
  
Not sure exactly where this conversation was going, but getting little uneasy, she said, "Yeah, but that was a long time ago. Since then, things have changed and we have given up on ourselves," she said, but trying more to convince herself than anyone else, "Haven't we?"  
  
Gordo looked down for a second, sadly, "Yeah, I guess we have," he said, and then trying to make the moment lighter, "Yeah, we were stupid in high school, anyway, weren't we? I mean, all high school was for us was a place full of he-said-she-said crap, right? We didn't know what we were doing or what we were saying, right?"  
  
Lizzie couldn't decide if he was serious when he said all these things. Was this really how he felt about them and their relationship? Did he just call their whole relationship a complete joke? Tears started to form in her eyes as she started to get angry, "Is that really how you feel? Do you really think we didn't know what we were doing? Because I think I knew exactly what I was doing. But, if this is how you feel, it all makes sense now."  
  
"What in the hell are you talking about?" Gordo said, getting angry himself. What he was trying to do was have a civil conversation, but he couldn't help but defend himself.  
  
"Oh, Gordo," Lizzie said, rolling her eyes, "I know you went away to college to get away from me. I know you went to college because you didn't feel comfortable with me. I wasn't naïve, Gordo. I knew exactly what was going on. I saw the way you looked at Parker, although I didn't think much of it until I realized that you weren't going away to college because of the better opportunities. You were going to be closer to Parker. You weren't sad to go away. You didn't shed any tears when I did. I'm not dense. I knew about you and Parker the whole time."  
  
Gordo jumped up, "What in the hell are you talking about??? I have no idea what you are talking about, but whatever you are, get your facts straight. First of all, Parker and I didn't even exist as a couple. . ."  
  
"Yeah, until you could be alone with her," Lizzie blurted, interrupting him.  
  
"I give up!" he said, throwing his hands in the air, "If you want to believe all that crap that you just said, fine by me. I don't care. All I care about is getting this all over with so I can leave."  
  
"Oh yeah?" Lizzie asked, in her tears, standing up from the bed, "ditto!" She said, looking him straight in the eye. Her eyes were red, and in that very moment of passion, she didn't know what came over her, but she grabbed him, kissed him hard on the lips, and let go, and as tears streamed down her face, she sobbed, "I hate you, Gordo!" and she let go of him and went to the bathroom to take a shower.  
  
What was that all about? He thought. Things were getting more confusing by the minute and what just happened there made everything worse. He didn't know why he didn't defend himself when Lizzie accused him of running away with Parker and it was killing him inside to learn this. This was news to him. He had never heard this before. He hadn't spoken to Parker since the graduation party and that was fine by him. No, he thought the story went down another way.  
  
Could it be, he thought, that they had their stories wrong to begin with? Did they break up thinking it was the other person's fault when it wasn't anyone's fault? He heard Lizzie's explanation for everything, and assuming that she thought this was true, he thought maybe it was worth giving her his side of the story. It might not fix everything, and there was a large chance that she wouldn't believe him, but it was worth it for his sanity. It would give him the closure he needed. He knew there was a reason he wasn't able to love anyone the way he loved Lizzie, and to discover that this was the reason behind his true feelings made him think. He had spent the last five years hating Lizzie all because of a small misunderstanding.  
  
What was happening didn't make sense, though. Lizzie was thinking about the same thing as she took her shower. If she was so mad at Gordo, why did she kiss him? Why did Gordo act so surprised to hear about him and Parker? Was he being truthful when he said he didn't know anything about Parker? She wanted an explanation from him. She wanted to hear his side of the story. Part of her wanted to hear that he and Parker did go out and that he cheated on her, but the other part of her wanted to believe he was telling the truth just then when he played dumb. Thinking back, Lizzie asked herself, was it ever clear why they broke up? They knew their own reasons, but did they keep them to themselves? This was a lot to think about, on top of the kisses last night and the kiss this morning. She was starting to think it was worth the thought, though. She couldn't ignore her feelings anymore because they were at this point, so passionate. She got out of the shower and got dressed in the bathroom. She took a deep breath as she opened the door and saw Gordo sitting on the bed.  
  
"Gordo," she said, and he looked at her, "In order for us to act mushy toward each other today, I think I deserve an explanation."  
  
~&~&~  
  
A/N: OoOoh. This time the question can be openly answered. I'll take the suggestion I think will work best in the story.   
  
Question: Something big will happen on the fourth day of their journey (I'm considering this the third day). It doesn't have to involve Lizzie and Gordo, but what do you think should happen? (e-mail me at tabbag7@yahoo.com or put it in a review.)  
  
P.S. Look for my new story at some point, "Heaven in A Little Row Boat" It's romance, comedy, and different. The first chapter should be out at some point today. 


	12. Chapter Twelve

A/N: Thanks for the patience. After taking everything into consideration (as I always do) I have made up my mind with the flirting thing. The what's going to happen on the fourth date thing is still up for grabs, though.  
  
Chapter Twelve  
  
"What kind of explanation do you want?" Gordo asked. He wanted to tell her everything, but he was determined to pretend he hated her. If he pretended long enough, maybe he could convince himself. His feelings were so rocky at this point that he wasn't sure what he wanted. He cursed to himself on the inside because every moment was becoming more and more unpredictable. It wasn't like he had to harbor his love-hate relationship with Lizzie anymore. This was his opportunity to get what he wanted, or at least see where Lizzie stood in all of this. The Parker thing really blew him off course. Did she really believe that? On the other hand, what about his side of the story. There had to be an explanation to all of it  
  
"You know what I want," she said, "I want to hear your side of the story. Why do you think we broke up?"  
  
"Because I saw you at prom, dammit," Gordo practically screamed, "And I also saw you at the senior sleepover and at that stupid party! You gave up on us way before I gave up on you!"  
  
"Calm down, Gordo!" Lizzie said, developing a temper herself, "Because I have no idea what you are talking about. You say you saw me at prom and all these places. I saw you, too!"  
  
"Yeah, but you didn't have to listen to your girlfriend talk about Ethan the whole time we were at Prom and you didn't have to watch her flirt with him at the senior sleepover and you definitely didn't have to watch her go into that room during that stupid party. Did you get what you wanted, Lizzie? Did Ethan make you happy? When you were being secretive all those times, did you enjoy what you were hiding?"  
  
"Gordo," Lizzie interrupted.  
  
"No," Gordo said, "What I had with Parker was nothing. Sure, we talked about being in the same area for college, but why not? I wasn't all over her like you were with Ethan. No, in fact, Parker and I haven't even talked to each other since graduation."  
  
Lizzie was crying at this point, "Yeah, well, if that's true, then the same goes for Ethan and me. I had a really good reason for spending time with Ethan, and like any good friend, I wanted to make sure he was okay."  
  
"Ha!" Gordo said, "Ethan was always okay! Girls were always surrounding him. You were just like all the other girls and went to him, too!"  
  
"Stop it, Gordo!" Lizzie said, as tears streamed down her face.  
  
"No," Gordo said, "Because I need to finish this!" Gordo said, as he was beginning to remember why he wasn't supposed to love Lizzie anymore, "Lizzie, I loved you and would have done anything, but you took that love that I had and threw it out. How did you ever expect for me to forgive you?" He asked this, heated, with anger.  
  
"Gordo, you don't understand!" Lizzie said, through her tears, "Ethan's dad was very sick that year and was at the hospital the night of prom."  
  
"No wonder you weren't dancing with him," he said.  
  
"Shove it, Gordo, and listen to me. I heard your explanation and now it's your turn to hear mine," Lizzie said, loosing her temper, "At senior sleepover, we were talking about his father and how he didn't know whether to go away for college on his football scholarship or stay here to be with his father. And last, but not least, and hear me out because this what happened, his father died three days before that party. He and I went into that room to talk. I was there to be with him, as a friend, as he cried and dealt with the loss of his father. He didn't talk about his father a lot because he didn't like to show emotion, but I was there for him as a friend. Maybe you should have been there with me as a friend of mine, but most importantly as a friend of Ethan's."  
  
Hearing this caused Gordo to calm down. Hearing the truth made everything come together, but at the same time, made him feel stupid and more confused, "Why didn't you tell me this when it happened?"  
  
"I don't know," Lizzie said, wiping tears from underneath her eyes, "I think at the time I thought you knew about all of this and I didn't think talking about it would help anything. Besides, I don't think Ethan wanted people to know the whole story. I knew it all because I happened to be on the phone with him about homework or something when he learned that his father had a heart attack. I knew all this by accident and I thought he would need a true friend to be with to get through this and I was there."  
  
Gordo sat down, trying to put this together in his head. He had to admit it made sense, and the more he thought about it, the more it made sense, "So this whole time. . .it was all a big misunderstanding?"  
  
Lizzie shrugged, "I don't know. Were you ever with Parker?"  
  
"No way," Gordo said.  
  
"Then I guess it was," Lizzie said, sitting down next to him.  
  
"I –I'm sorry, Lizzie. I had no idea," he said, playing the what if game in his head.  
  
"I'm sorry, too. Had I known what you were thinking and the truth, well. . ." Lizzie said, looking at Gordo for a few short seconds and then shrugging, "Well, who knows."  
  
"Yeah," Gordo echoes, "Who knows."  
  
Gordo was about to say something else when they were interrupted by a knock on the door of their Love Hut. Both of them jumped and Gordo went to get the door. It was someone who told them it was time for their daily activity.  
  
Lizzie and Gordo, who both somehow felt the same thing in that room, left that room with a different feeling. They had new information. This information meant that they didn't have a reason to break up in the first place. But now that everything was out in the open, what were they supposed to do? Still pretend like they hate each other? Pretend that each kiss they are forced to act out and each time they touch each other means absolutely nothing to each other? While all the truth was spilled, it was almost as if gates that were partially closed for the two of them were now opened and . . .this made it all even more confusing.  
  
Today they had to act mushy toward each other. This would be hard because neither of them knew where they stood with the other person. Before the cameras started rolling, Gordo and Lizzie sort of distanced themselves from each other. Gordo watched as Jane walked over to James and started talking to her. He scanned the rest of the actors to see what they were up to, when all the sudden Thomas walked up to him, "Danny?" he said.  
  
Gordo turned to face Thomas, "Yeah?"  
  
"Listen I know this is going to sound crazy, but you look incredibly familiar. And I couldn't place you until just now. . .you were in that Mountain Dew commercial, weren't you?" he asked.  
  
Gordo shook his head, confused, "Nope, that wasn't me."  
  
Thomas looked a little surprised, "Really? Because you look exactly like that guy."  
  
"No, Thomas, I wasn't in that commercial. I haven't been in any commercials, actually."  
  
"Really?" Thomas said, "Did you have a stint on a soap opera or sitcom?"  
  
Gordo shrugged, "Nope."  
  
"Have you ever been on TV?"  
  
"Well, several years ago I was on this game show on the Spanish Network, but that was a long time ago. I haven't been on TV since then."  
  
"Oh, well," Thomas said, "We've all had our washed up period. That's why I'm here in the first place. No one remembers me from my Tonka Truck commercial days and I guarantee that no one saw my face in that band movie. I was in one scene and in the very back row. That's why I'm here."  
  
Gordo looked around, suddenly realizing, "All of us are actors, huh?"  
  
"Yep," Thomas said, laughing, "My wife thought I was crazy when I told her I was getting into this. Are you married?"  
  
"Nope," Gordo said, "I'm single."  
  
"Well, good for you. Word on the street is that Tory is, too. Maybe you two should hook up in real life," he said as he slapped Gordo on the back and walked away.  
  
Slowly, Gordo was starting to understand this game. There was no real winner in the end of this: it was all fake. He thought at first that it was just acted out, but he didn't think about the fact that this was all actors. He should have realized that these people have a life of their own and are just playing a character, like he was. They all were in it for the money, like him.  
  
Gordo looked back at Lizzie and noticed she was talking to the host of the show, Ryan. The first thought that came into his head was whether Ryan was single or not. He couldn't help but feel a little jealousy toward Ryan.  
  
He tried to look at other things, to distract himself from Lizzie, but it was hard. Finally, five minutes later, it was announced that the competition was about to begin. This time it was a scavenger hunt. The cameras turned on as the couples were handed a list of things to do. A horn blew, indicating it was time to start, and all of them went their separate ways as cameras followed them.  
  
Lizzie, remembering that she was supposed to act infatuated with Gordo, put her arm around Gordo and they took their time on the hunt as they would occasionally take time to give each other hugs, and every time they found something that was on their list, Lizzie would kiss Gordo on the cheek. Gordo went along with it all, but his mind was clearly not on the hunt. Instead, his thoughts were on Lizzie and what she was thinking about the current situation.   
  
Lizzie noticed that Gordo was being distant and had to admit that his distant behavior upset her. She wasn't quite sure why, but she almost wished he would make a move and kiss her or give her some sort of sign as to everything will be okay. She looked at his hand and took it into hers. She always did feel protected when he held her hand when they were dating. Now, though, it was complicated. Not knowing what the other one was thinking was killing each of them inside. All of this acting was messing with what was happening in real life, and it was apparent to both of them. While Gordo was dreading the break they had after this mission, Lizzie wanted nothing more than to finish talking about what they were talking about earlier.  
  
Finally, they finished and reached the finishing line. They had come in third place. The next thirty minutes was a blur for Lizzie and Gordo as Ryan announced the winners and everyone hung around to get some finishing camera shots. Finally, they were free to go and as Lizzie was going over what to say in her head, she was stopped by Ryan.  
  
"Tory," he called, causing both Gordo and Lizzie to turn around to see what was going on. Ryan finally reached them, gave Gordo a nod and turned his attention to Lizzie, "Tory, I was wondering, since we have a break right now, if you would like to have some tea or something with me now," he asked, smiling.  
  
Without looking at Gordo, she agreed. She didn't have a clear head, anyway, and maybe a break from Gordo would be good for her. She went with Ryan to the mansion and joined him for tea. The whole time, although she was physically with Ryan, her mind was in other places. She let Ryan do most of the talking as she thought about how to approach her growing feelings for Gordo.  
  
In the meantime, Gordo went to the Love Hut alone. He was hurting inside, although he knew that he couldn't do anything because this was Lizzie's choice. However, her decision meant that she still had no interest in him, and this did hurt. He wondered if Mr. Rico Suave Ryan had made a move yet. He wondered if his arms were around her shoulders, like he wished his were now. It was hard, but he had to face it: once again in his life, he had it bad for Lizzie.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
A/N: To be continued is to be soon.  
  
The question from last chapter is still something to think about.  
  
That is: What will happen on the fourth day of this journey? 


	13. Chapter Thirteen

A/N: Whatever happens on the fourth date is still an open vote.  
  
Chapter Thirteen  
  
An hour after Lizzie and Gordo split up, Lizzie showed up at the Love Hut. Gordo, who was sitting on the bed and reading, looked up and said nothing. In all truth, Lizzie didn't really enjoy talking to Ryan. Sure, he was a nice guy and everything, but she was too busy playing what if with Gordo in her head to concentrate on anything or anyone else. She went with Ryan feeling confused and came back to the love hut even more confused.  
  
She, like Gordo, was fully aware that their past was messed up. She, also like Gordo, was growing more and more curious as to what it would be like to have Gordo in her arms again. (Only Gordo was thinking this with Lizzie) She didn't know what she was getting herself into and she found enjoying this experience. The reality part of the show may have been fake, but the real life part had never felt more real.  
  
While she wanted to talk with Gordo and hear what he thought about everything, she also wanted to see if it was worth her time. She knew her heart always belonged to Gordo, but wanted proof that he could still have it. If this wasn't the beginning of something new, this was closure to something old.   
  
She wanted to see if he had changed at all. She wanted to find out if he was as loveable as he was before and although he was acting like a jerk now, she wanted to make sure that was just a fence he built to protect himself against her. She lay down on the bed next to Gordo and asked, "So, what are we supposed to wear tonight?"  
  
"It's casual. Wear whatever you want."  
  
Lizzie got up and went into her suitcase and found her favorite T-shirt. She held it up, "What do you think of this one?"  
  
Gordo glanced away from his book and when he saw what she was holding up, the book dropped to the floor as he looked at her confused, "You still have that?"  
  
The shirt Lizzie held up was special for a reason. It was Gordo's old "Clash" t-shirt that Lizzie stole from him because she loved it so much. Gordo finally agreed to let her have it and Lizzie wore it almost every night to sleep. "Yeah," Lizzie said, sitting on the bed and putting the shirt aside. She looked at Gordo and smiled, "You know, this always was my favorite shirt."  
  
"Yeah," he said, still confused, "but I figured after we broke up, you would burn all my things or get rid of them."  
  
"Gordo," Lizzie said, shaking her head, "As awful as our break-up was, the thought of you hasn't always brought me bad memories. We had at least three good years before things started getting shaky."  
  
"But still," he said, "I can't believe you kept it."  
  
"Yeah," Lizzie said, grinning, "Sometimes, neither can I."  
  
"So. . ." Gordo said, "did you keep anything else?"  
  
Lizzie shrugged, "Yeah. It's all in my old room at my parent's house."  
  
"Where do you live now?"  
  
"In an apartment with Miranda."  
  
"Wow. I haven't spoken to Miranda in years."  
  
"I know." Lizzie said, "I always made sure that you didn't."  
  
"Why?" Gordo asked, confused.  
  
"Because," Lizzie said, taking the shirt back in her hand, "In the beginning, it was hard, you know? I mean, I had to get over you and Miranda was trying to get me to call you."  
  
"What does this have to do with her?"  
  
"I don't know. I think I made her promise not to call you or something like that. I was really mad at you."  
  
"Yeah, I probably would have done the same," Gordo said.   
  
"So," Lizzie said, "Do you have a girlfriend right now?"  
  
"Nope," Gordo said, "I'm here, aren't I?"  
  
"True," Lizzie agreed.  
  
"What about you? I know you are here doing someone a favor by being here. Do you have a boyfriend?" Gordo asked, finding that he liked having this pleasant conversation with Lizzie.  
  
"No," Lizzie said, "In fact I haven't had a boyfriend since…well, in a while anyway." Lizzie decided to keep some things away from Gordo.  
  
Gordo nodded his head, "Yeah, neither have I."  
  
"How's life been to you, Gordo?"  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"I mean," Lizzie said, propping her head up to show interest, "has life treated you well these past few years."  
  
Gordo shrugged, "It's been okay. How about you."  
  
"Same with me."  
  
"Wow," he said, "I mean, I always thought we had a lot in common being best friends and all back then, but it seems that the older we get, the more we have in common."  
  
"Yeah," Lizzie said, thinking about it in her head. She thought about the last five years and how lonely she felt. Her last real boyfriend was Gordo and she had a lot of trouble opening her heart out to other people during college. She wondered if he felt lonely.  
  
"Lizzie," he said, letting his thoughts drift, "now that we know the truth about each other, don't you kind of wonder how things would have been different if we never broke up?"  
  
"Yeah," Lizzie said, "In fact, I've been thinking about that a lot lately."  
  
"I might have decided to stay in California."  
  
"We may be married with kids by now."  
  
"Well," Gordo said, "If we got married after college, which is what I always wanted, we might not have kids…but you never know."  
  
"Yeah…you never know," Lizzie said.  
  
"Lizzie?"  
  
"Hmm?"  
  
"What's going to happen to us after this all ends? Do you think we'll be friends again?"  
  
"I don't know," Lizzie said.  
  
Gordo nodded his head.  
  
"I mean, things happen for a reason, right? Maybe there was a reason we broke up," Lizzie said.  
  
Gordo looked at her, "Yeah, but maybe there is a reason we are both here now…together."  
  
Lizzie looked into Gordo's eyes and tried to read what they were saying. Gordo did the same. Then, slowly, they both started to lean in, and just as their lips were about to touch, they heard a knock on the door. Both of them jumped and looked at each other until Lizzie finally spoke up, "I'll get it."  
  
Lizzie got up from the bed and disappeared to get the door. Gordo stared at the doorway, wondering what just happened. They just had quite possibly the deepest conversation they have ever had. The thing that echoed in Gordo's mind was, "things happen for a reason." Maybe this whole thing was trying to tell Lizzie and Gordo that they belonged together.   
  
Lizzie reappeared in the bedroom and said, "dinnertime."  
  
"Ahh," Gordo said, standing up, "I should probably change shirts."  
  
"Yeah, I think I'll change into a skirt and wear a different shirt."  
  
Gordo nodded his head as he got a shirt, "I'll go into the bathroom."  
  
Gordo disappeared into the bathroom and Lizzie smiled. Maybe Gordo had changed over the years, but maybe it was for the better. He respected Lizzie enough to let her get dressed, which showed that he had respect for Lizzie.  
  
A few minutes later, Lizzie okayed Gordo to come out and he appeared and they looked at each other, "Ready?" Lizzie said.  
  
"Yep."  
  
"Well, Tory," he said, holding out his hand, "Let us go to supper."  
  
Lizzie smiled and accepted his hand and they walked out of their hut and to the mansion. As Lizzie and Gordo's time together passed and their relationship became more unclear every minute, they realized that all these feelings they were having were true.  
  
That evening, nothing too eventful happened during dinner. They ate in the living room in a large circle on the couches. Lizzie, who still felt tension between her and Gordo, tried to concentrate on the other couples. No one seemed to belong together, but when her eyes reached Gordo, she got this funny feeling in her stomach. Like she was the only one who could ever be perfect for Gordo because it felt right. She was coming to terms with everything…maybe love was a possibility.  
  
But still, she was scared. Scared to open her heart again to the one person she ever truly loved and have it broken again. She wanted to know if he felt what she was feeling. If they kissed again, would there be more depth than just supposed acting.  
  
It was almost like she still had to test him. See how much he was willing to open up and see if he would tell her the truth. She had a plan when they got back into the room and were safe from the cameras.   
  
Gordo, on the other hand, seemed to know more about what his heart wanted. Gordo felt the tension between him and Lizzie, but in his eyes, he found himself more comfortable to be himself. Still, he didn't know. He wished he knew what Lizzie was thinking. He wished he could get inside her head. It was so jumpy with Lizzie…one minute she would be talking to you and almost kissing you, but the minute before, she was spending time with another guy. He thought he was jealous of Ryan when she was with him, but she acted like nothing serious happened between them when she got back. He decided to take that as a good thing, but then again, he wasn't positive.  
  
After dinner, the couples departed and went to their homes. The cameras left in a matter of a few minutes, just long enough to tape them getting into bed and doing whatever. After they left was Lizzie's chance to test him.  
  
"So," Lizzie said, as she got out of the bathroom after brushing her teeth and washing her face, "Gordo,"  
  
"Yeah?" Gordo said, watching her literally jump on the bed and get under the covers next to him.  
  
"Answer me this, old buddy," she said, propping her head on the pillow, "of all the women here, which one do you think you'd bring home to your mom."  
  
That was an easy question, Gordo thought. Still, he had a feeling she wouldn't stop there, "Well, all things considered, I think my mom would be thrilled to see you again. She never knew why we broke up in the first place and it always bothered her."  
  
"Okay," Lizzie said, realizing that this was going to be a difficult task, "Who do you see marrying?"  
  
Gordo thought for a moment. It wasn't a hard question in his head, but he knew saying the truth would be awkward. It was still tempting though, just to see what her response would be, "Let's see. Elizabeth, Jane or Mary. Well, I don't really know them, but if I had to pick one right now, I'd say Mary."  
  
"Really," Lizzie said, nodding her head. She was thankful it wasn't Elizabeth because Lizzie couldn't stand Elizabeth, "Interesting."  
  
"Do you think she's the prettiest?"  
  
Again, Gordo thought, Lizzie was the prettiest, but he wasn't born yesterday. He shrugged, "I don't know. Jane is kind of cute."  
  
"Hmm," Lizzie said, nodding her head. She was having fun with this. It was like they were friends again, "So, what do you think about for me?"  
  
Gordo shot Lizzie a confused look, "What do you mean?"  
  
"You know. Of all the guys here, who do you think seems most like my type?"  
  
These questions that were fun for Lizzie were killing Gordo. Every question she asked made him more and more confident that she wasn't interested in him the way he was interested in her, "I don't know." He said, but he so badly wanted to speak up for himself.  
  
"Oh, come on! You know you have someone in mind. You know you are thinking about it."  
  
Gordo sighed. Actually, he hadn't given that much thought, but now that she mentioned it, he was curious. Did she have a crush on one of the other guys? What happened between her and Ryan, anyway?  
  
"Lizzie, I'm tired. Can we please just go to sleep," he said and he turned the light off next to him.  
  
Lizzie rolled her eyes. She knew when enough was enough, but she still wanted answers. She turned off the light next to her side and went to bed.  
  
This day of the journey was over, but what would come of the next?  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
A/N: I haven't had a question in a while, so here goes another question.  
  
Question: At some point soon in the journey, Lizzie will talk to Ryan on a social level again. When he asks her what she thinks of "Daniel" how will she respond?  
  
a.)Honesty (without giving past away) meaning she will tell him that she thinks she loves him.  
  
b.)She will tell him that she isn't interested, only because she is still scared of the truth.  
  
c.)Tell him that it's none of his business and get angry, but inside, she's really angry because even she can't come to terms with this whole thing.  
  
Please review and I will update as soon as possible. 


	14. Chapter Fourteen

A/N: Wow! Thank you for all the amazing reviews! They really are inspiring and I appreciate that. Oh, and just to warn you, this chapter took a life of its own.  
  
Credit to VampAmber for her idea on Day Four. That idea will show up in this chapter as well as another chapter.  
  
Chapter Fourteen  
  
The next day, they were woken up for their production meeting and didn't say anything to each other while they got ready.  
  
This production meeting had to be the strangest yet because everyone was seated before the three producers came it.  
  
Gracie, Ted, and Greg finally came in and Ted, who entered first, was holding a huge stack of paper and waited until everyone was seated until he screamed, "Scandal! We need scandal! Ugh! That way, Aaron Spelling will finally give me the detention I deserve!" He mumbled that last part before he looked around at all the people in the room, "Gracie, hand me that file," he said, pointing to a file that was in front of Gracie.  
  
Gracie did what she was told and Ted took it and opened it up. He kept looking around the room, "Okay, you," he said, pointing to Thomas, "How are things going for you?"  
  
"Um, okay, sir," he said.  
  
"You getting along with Jane?"  
  
Thomas shrugged, "I guess so."  
  
Ted nodded his head and looked around the room again and stopped at Elizabeth, "How are you doing today?" he asked.  
  
"Fine, sir," Elizabeth answered.  
  
"And things with James are good?"  
  
"I guess so."  
  
"What happened to you yesterday?"  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"I mean, James was flirting with Jane yesterday. Aren't you upset?"  
  
"Seriously?"  
  
"No, for the camera."  
  
"I guess so."  
  
"Good. You and Thomas should start to notice this and run away from the group at some point and talk and perhaps flirt with each other."  
  
Elizabeth and Thomas glanced at each other.  
  
"And tonight. . . I want …Elizabeth and Jane to have a total catfight with claws and everything…in the woods and have Thomas and James follow them to calm them down, leaving Mary, George, Tory, and Daniel just sitting there wondering what is going on because they don't know anything. You four act as if nothing has changed from yesterday.  
  
They all listened intently. Lizzie was just thankful that they asked nothing specifically of her and Gordo because she knew she wasn't up to doing anything specific, but she could handle the task given to her.  
  
They all left the production meeting and waited for their interviews. Gordo really wanted to talk to Lizzie about everything, and was determined not to go down the path they went the night before. He wanted to make sure they were on the same page with their feelings. He wanted to make sure there was absolutely no hope for them after this was over. He wanted to know if the book about them was finished or if there was a chance for future chapters. He hadn't given up quite yet, but he was lost as to where Lizzie was going with this.  
  
After the interviews were over, they went back to their homes and were given free time before the actual day started.  
  
While Lizzie dreaded this, Gordo decided that he would make something clear.  
  
After they were safely in the home, Lizzie went to the bedroom and Gordo followed. "Lizzie," he said, nervously. He was ready to make a total fool out of himself.  
  
"Hmm?" She asked.  
  
"What would you say if I still loved you?"  
  
Lizzie froze. She slowly turned around and looked at Gordo, deciding if he was kidding or being serious, but she couldn't tell, "Are you serious?" she finally asked.  
  
Gordo laughed. To him, this was like proposing to someone and them responding the same way Lizzie did. It hurt him deep down, but he responded with laughter to cover up the embarrassment.  
  
Before he could say yes, though, she did what was even worse than asking if he was serious. She began to laugh with him!   
  
"It's a good thing you weren't serious Gordo. Because if you were, I don't know what I would do."  
  
Bang! It was like someone had just shot him…after torturing him…and tying him up. She took his laugh to mean that he was joking. And her response…hurt him. And while it hurt him…it still didn't answer his question.  
  
After that, there was an eerie silence in the room as they waited for someone to knock on the door and tell them it was time for competition.  
  
While Gordo kept replaying what Lizzie said in his mind over and over again and tried to come up with what she was trying to say, Lizzie couldn't help but wonder if their was any inch of truth in the root of that question. He laughed, so she took it to mean that he was joking, but he also looked somewhat hurt with what she said. She was thankful, however, if it was a joke, that he ended when he did because if he had taken it any farther, Lizzie was pretty sure that she would have told him how she felt, and what she felt was still the strong connection that they had when they were together in high school. Yeah, had she said that to him, he would have gotten a kick out of it all and the laughter would have been at her expense.  
  
Little did she know that the laughter was at someone's expense. It was at Gordo's expense.  
  
What seemed like hours later, someone finally came to their door and told them it was time for the daily challenge.  
  
Today's challenge was actually the boys against the girls. The object was for each group to come up with a dance routine and present it in front of a group of "celebrity judges" in about two hours from now.   
  
The groups separated and the four girls went off to another section, thinking this would be an easy win because, well, they were girls, and well, girls stereotypically are better dancers than boys. Besides, it helped that Jane took ballet, jazz, tap, alternative, gymnastics, and even interpretive dance throughout her young and teenage years. Jane took the lead as she choreographed a dance for the girls within a half an hour. The rest of the time they spent gossiping and it was harmless, so Lizzie was enjoying herself, until the tables turned a little bit. In fact, the tables didn't just turn, they toppled over. . .right on her.  
  
In the meantime, the guys had a more difficult time with their coordination. If they weren't trying to play macho with this whole competition, they just didn't have enough rhythm to save their souls. Gordo tried to act low key about this whole thing. Afterall, it wasn't like he memorized the steps on Dirty Dancing and Justin Timberlake had nothing on him. Also, his mind was elsewhere. It didn't take much time for any of them to realize that they were totally going to bust this competition. It was in the girls' hands completely.  
  
Why did the producers decide to split the sexes anyway? What was their prerogative behind all of this? The girls obviously were better fit and how would factoring in who won relate to their relationship? Also, why couldn't they pick a neutral sport or activity? Like Bowling or even cooking would be more appropriate. All throughout his college years, Gordo was very aware that he was no gourmet chef, however, he could make a mean grilled cheese and became very creative with his George Foreman Grill. Seriously, anything but dancing would be a better alternative.   
  
But, like any person involved in Broadway or live shows, or in this case, fake reality TV, the show must go on. That's right. The guys would just have to get over the humility and somehow come together to create some sort of dance.  
  
They did it. It was crazy and they almost didn't make the time limit, but the male competitors finally choreographed their masterpiece and were ready to go on and get the performance over with.  
  
If only Gordo had any idea of what the girls were saying…  
  
After the girls finished their dance, they had approximately an hour and a half to go before their time was up. They decided to use this time to take a break and get to know each other, as they hadn't really had some "just the girls" time. The would practice the dance in the end.  
  
So, there all four of them were, sitting in the grass in a circle and talking . Lizzie wasn't saying much, as she didn't really know what to say. She watched as the other three engaged in a conversation about their past relationships. Lizzie occasionally made small comments, but didn't say much knowing that this was a part of the show and, as Tory, Lizzie had no real past in relationships.  
  
It was all going fine and working out great for Lizzie until there came a moment that truly tested Lizzie. What could she possible say, as Tory, that would be believable?   
  
Mary had just finished telling a story about how one of her old boyfriends had stolen her car in college one night and ran a stop light, and since the stop light now has cameras that take pictures of license plates of cars that run it, she was mailed a ticket and when she confronted the boyfriend, he said that she should pay for it because it was her car.  
  
This story got the girls talking about stupidity of exes and stupid arguments. This is where Jane innocently threw out the question, "What is the stupidest argument you ever had with a boyfriend?"  
  
Everyone told a story and then they turned to Lizzie, "What about you, Tory? Ever had a stupid argument?" Jane asked.  
  
Lizzie thought about this. Had she ever had a stupid argument with Gordo? Had she and Gordo really ever had an argument until the end. Well, at the end, it was pretty intense. Lizzie swallowed, "Yeah. In high school, I went out for this guy for a few years and this one night, "Lizzie said, as she remembered that night, "Senior year, about a month before we were going to graduate, another friend of mine asked me to go to the hospital and so I couldn't go to this party with my boyfriend. He had to go because it was a school sponsored event and he was in the Student Association," Lizzie swallowed again, because remembering this, she felt stupid, "Anyway, I was over at my boyfriend's house before I went to the hospital to meet my friend, and I guess I was jealous and we were having a few issues to begin with, but he was wearing this shirt I bought him for his eighteenth birthday. For some reason, I got upset because I wouldn't be with him so I asked him to wear another shirt," Tears started forming in Lizzie's eyes as the other girls glanced at each other as they listened, "We ended up arguing for a good ten minutes about the shirt and I left to be with me friend," and at this point, Lizzie lost it, "That night, my friend's father died. Not four hours earlier, I was arguing about a stupid shirt."  
  
Lizzie sat there, weeping silently as the other girls comforted her. What was supposed to be harmless and humorous chattering turned sad and gloomy. Lizzie was only trying to think of a stupid argument. She wasn't trying to emotionally fall apart.  
  
Lizzie pulled herself together and tried to laugh, to release the uncomfortable tension in the atmosphere, "Anyway, it took me a while to realize that I was never really angry about the shirt."  
  
"There is always something else," Jane agreed.  
  
"Yeah," Mary nodded, "It may take you years to find out what it really was, but in the end, its all a part of life."  
  
Sorry to end on a sad note, but like I said, that chapter took a life of its own.  
  
Here's the next question:  
  
Lizzie or Gordo is going to receive a call from home. Instead of using multiple choice, you chose the following: Who it should be, why that person is calling, who picks up, who is the person calling, and does the other person find out why that person is calling? Be creative, but logical.  
  
Either answer by review or e-mail me at tabbag7yahoo.com. I will either use all or parts of the ideas and might even mix a few of them up.  
  
Also, start thinking about the end. I told you in the beginning that this was going to be somewhat controlled by readers, and I think that should include the ending as well. This story is maybe halfway over at this point, but if you have a really creative idea for the ending or just any idea, e-mail me. (DO NOT review because I want their to be some element of mystery) Again, I may use all or part of your idea and I may e-mail you back and we can discuss it further. E-mail me if you are interested. The ending idea won't be closed until I close it, which probably won't be for a while.  
  
In the mean time, please review and tell me what you think. I will update as soon as possible. 


	15. Chapter Fifteen

A/N: Oh my gosh. I feel like it has been ages since my last update. It's been almost a month and let me tell you, freshman year got a little more hectic than I anticipated with my huge science project, president project, and two mini projects in English. However, the mid term is over, so I should have a little more time to work on the story and given this is probably a really lousy chapter update, I hope to be updating more over the next week. Thank you for the patience and the reviews. I bet you were beginning to wonder if I was ever going to come back.  
  
So, if you have an idea for the ending, let's talk!  
  
Still credit to VampAmber.  
  
Chapter Fifteen  
  
The girls pulled themselves together after that touching moment and decided they should start practicing again before they performed.  
  
Pretty soon, however, their time was up and they were to meet again with the guys in the courtyard. The guys were on one side as the girls were on the other side as they waited for Ryan to come and introduce the celebrity judges.  
  
Ryan came and introduced the three judges, all formerly from reality shows like the Bachelor, Average Joe, and the Real World. After they were introduced, the guys and girls were instructed to flip a coin to decide who went first. The girls lost the coin toss, so they had to go first.  
  
The girls danced first and did a good job, but the judges weren't supposed to score until after the guys went.   
  
So, after the girls did their routine and they guys were asked to take their places. The music started and almost immediately, the routine turned comedic. None of them were in step and they didn't work it out quite perfectly, although they did become creative and make the others laugh.  
  
After the guys were finished dancing, the who sat on the chairs given to them and waited as the judges discussed who would win. No one really cared who won, really, as much as they were curious as to what the advantage would be for the winning team. This wasn't about couples. This was about sexes.  
  
After a few minutes of discussing the matter, the judges finally turned to the group and said, "We have come to our decision. And believe it or not, it was harder than you think."  
  
"Musically, talentwise, and structure would have to be given to the girls because, well, just because," another one of the judges said.  
  
"But creativity, use of stage, and bravery would go to the guys."  
  
It was silent for a minute as the judges tried to make this as dramatic as possible. The one in the middle, the female, smiled and said, "The girls, however, showed strength in teamwork and working together, which was the point of this exercise. Congratulations, Girls!"  
  
The girls smiled and so did the guys because, well as mentioned before, they didn't really care. It just meant that another competition was over.  
  
"Because the girls won, not only do they win a brand new DVD set, but also, they have something else."  
  
This is what Gordo was waiting for. The catch.  
  
"The ladies are going to be taking a vacation overnight to Maui while the men will stay here."  
  
They must really want the girls and guys to bond, Lizzie thought as she took this all in. They were leaving that night on a private plane .  
  
"Ladies, you have two hours to pack and meet back in front of the mansion. I wish you well," Ryan said, as he put his hands together and smiled. It was all an act for the camera, but still. Lizzie wondered what the intentions of this sudden girl versus boy's thing was all about.   
  
The people went back to their homes and Lizzie and Gordo met up in their love hut. In the back of Lizzie's mind, the whole story about Ethan was still bothering her and Gordo must have noticed because as soon as he saw her he asked, "Are you okay?"  
  
Lizzie wiped her eyes, "Yeah, I'm fine. I guess it must be allergies," she said, and she walked to the room.  
  
Gordo didn't buy that, however, and followed her into their bedroom, "Lizzie, you know, we can talk about things. I thought we were going to try to be friends."  
  
"Gordo, I'm fine," Lizzie said, "I really am," and she started packing.  
  
"I'm not naïve," Gordo said, but then he sighed, realizing that maybe this wasn't, after all, his place to meddle into her affairs, "But I'm not stupid, so if you want to talk to me, you can, but you don't have to."  
  
Lizzie, who had been turned away from Gordo, turned around and grinned, "Thanks, Gordo." She was grateful that he wasn't pushing, as she was feeling down about everything, and didn't want to start crying again, especially not in front of Gordo.  
  
"I hope you feel better," he said, and he gave her a sympathetic grin. He wanted badly to hold her and tell her that everything was going to be all right, but he restrained himself. He still wasn't quite sure where their relationship stood at the moment.  
  
A few minutes later, as Lizzie was finishing packing, a camera came in and started filming and Gracie asked for them to go to the mansion for interviews, so Lizzie left first, almost bursting into tears as soon as she was away and safe from Gordo and the cameras, as that story about Ethan she told earlier always had such an effect on her. She reached the mansion and went to the restroom to make her face more presentable before going into the room to conduct the scripted interview.  
  
Meanwhile, as Lizzie was in the interview talking about the day's events so far, Gordo was in their room, deep in thought, as he had been a lot lately. He was genuinely concerned for Lizzie, as she looked like something had been bothering her, and somehow that effected him. He didn't realize her feelings could do that to him, and he was beginning to realize that what he felt for Lizzie was a little more than a crush as he had been trying to convince himself, and that it was becoming something more real. It would take him a long time to get over her.  
  
Lizzie returned a half an hour later and only said, "Your turn," as she sat down on the bed as Gordo got up to conduct his interview. She was glad that she at least wouldn't have to deal with her mixed feelings for Gordo that night.  
  
Little did Lizzie know, however, was that something was astir outside as Lizzie was waiting for time to pass.  
  
Gordo finished the interview and was walking back to the hut when something caught his attention. It was Elizabeth and Thomas and they were surrounded by cameras, so Gordo figured they were just going what the production meeting asked them to do…flirt with each other. Gordo rolled his eyes and walked into the hut, wanting no involvement in that staged flirtation. No, he wanted to spend as much time with Lizzie as possible and maybe not figure her out as much, as he wanted to get some insight as to how she operates.   
  
He walked into the hut and saw Lizzie who was peering out of the window in the kitchen, "Hey," he said.  
  
She hushed him quickly, "I want to hear what they are supposed to be talking about."  
  
Gordo walked over next to her and looked out the window as well. They could only hear murmurs of sounds, "What do you think they are talking about?"  
  
Lizzie shrugged, "I don't know. They are supposed to be flirting."  
  
Gordo rolled his eyes and walked away from the window, "That is the biggest load of crap I've ever heard!"  
  
Lizzie wasn't paying attention to what Gordo was saying, though, "I hope they don't make me 'flirt' with someone else while I'm here," she idly commented, forgetting her audience.  
  
Gordo heard it, however, and his ears perked up ever so slightly, "You mean you don't want to flirt with anyone else?"  
  
Lizzie shook her head, still not thinking that there was room for misinterpretation with this comment, "Nope, I just don't know if I could stand it. It's too much to follow. If they offered more money, however…maybe we'd talk."  
  
Gordo sighed. There he went, getting his hopes up and ending with disappointment.  
  
"Oh, here comes Elizabeth. I hate that bitch. She reminds me of…well, she just bothers me, that's all," she said, catching her almost saying "Parker."  
  
"She's probably not like that in real life, Lizzie. She is an actress."  
  
Lizzie rolled her eyes, not frustrated with Gordo's opinion as much as she was just fed up with the whole gist, "Whatever. All I am saying is that I wouldn't be best friends with her."  
  
Gordo nodded his head and sat down on the chair near the table to relax, "What about Tory?"  
  
Lizzie laughed inwardly, "Are you kidding me? If this Tory is anything like my cousin, Caroline, she would form an alliance with Elizabeth and they'd be bitches together."  
  
"That reminds me," Gordo said, with the intentions of his next comment to stir some sort of reaction, "Do you think I'd like this Tory person? I mean, after the show, do you think I could get her number or something?"  
  
Lizzie turned to Gordo, unimpressed, as he smiled. "Well, I've never met her, but she seems like a total manipulator, so if that's what you want, who am I to stop you?"  
  
"You mean it wouldn't make you jealous or anything?"  
  
Lizzie raised her eyebrow, "What is that supposed to mean?"  
  
"Well," Gordo said, getting amused by all of this, "You are my ex-girlfriend and at the end of the show, if we win, not only do we get money, but we also get a trip to Europe, all expenses paid, to Europe."  
  
"Are you sure that isn't some set up of some kind?" Lizzie asked.  
  
"Nope," Gordo said, "It's publicity and I imagine people will want proof that we went to these places."  
  
Lizzie rolled her eyes, "Oh, well," she said, "what are the chances that we win this thing, anyway?"   
  
Gordo shrugged, "I don't know. It's probably closer than you think."  
  
Lizzie sighed as she turned away from the window, "Are they finished with the fight?" Gordo asked.  
  
"No, nothing's happening, though."  
  
Lizzie invited herself to sit down across from Gordo after she poured herself a glass of water. She set it down on the table and noticed that Gordo was looking at her.  
  
"What?" she asked, blushing, "What is it?"  
  
Gordo shook out of his stare and said, "Nothing. I was just thinking about that time when we went camping and you used all your water on the first day, and you had none left for the hike the next day."  
  
"Oh yeah," Lizzie said, grimacing at the memory, "I was so dehydrated. I thought I was going to die."  
  
"I offered you water!" Gordo said, defensively.  
  
"I know. I just didn't want to make you dehydrated at my expense."  
  
"Ahh," he said, nodding his head, "Well, you lived through it."  
  
"That I did," Lizzie said, taking another drink of water.  
  
There was a moment of silence lingering in the air as they both thought about the memories they shared on that trip, until all the sudden, they heard a knock on the door, and Gordo got up to get it. It was Gracie, "Hey, Daniel. Is Tory ready for the trip?"  
  
Gordo opened the door a little wider, so Gracie could see her, "Hey!" she said, "You ready?'  
  
Lizzie stood up, "Yeah, let me just get my bag," she said, and she disappeared into the bedroom, and reappeared a few seconds later with a bag on her shoulder.   
  
Gracie smiled, "Good. You are leaving in five minutes. Just go over to the mansion."  
  
"Okay," Lizzie said, and she started out the door. She almost felt the need to give Gordo a hug and tell him goodbye, but she decided against it.  
  
"I'll be there in a minute. The girls are going to be there, too."  
  
Gracie watched as Lizzie went away and closed the door, making it just her and Gordo in the room, "We need to talk."  
  
Gordo was thoroughly confused at this point, and his expression showed that.  
  
"The girls think that they are getting a vacation from you and they are going off to Maui and they are about to find out that they are going to a dance club tonight."  
  
Gordo was still unclear as to what was going on.  
  
"What the girls don't know, however, is that in about an hour, all of you guys are going to get on your own private plane to Maui and stay in a different place as the girls and go to the dance club as well."  
  
Gordo nodded his head, becoming a little clearer as to what was going on, but still not quite getting the big picture.  
  
"However, the girls will have no idea who you really are so you will be undergoing some make-up and wardrobe changes almost as soon as you get there and tonight, you will spy on them."  
  
"Oh, okay," Gordo said, getting the idea.  
  
"Another thing that the girls don't know is that the real competition of the day is tonight. For each dance they have with another guy, they loose a point; If they make out with anyone, they loose three points, if they simply kiss another guy, they loose two points, if they make any implication that they are available, they loose a point; If they flirt with anyone, they also loose a point. However, if they tell someone they are not available, are happy with their current situation, or do anything that would be beneficial to you two as a couple, they gain points. Tomorrow, when everyone is back here, the couple with the least amount of points is going to go home and be eliminated for the rest of the process. Any questions?" 


	16. Chapter Sixteen

A/N: I have the most thoughtful and gracious fans in the world! Three or four weeks ago, I received an e-mail from Hacen, an author, who sent me his idea for the end of the story as well as asking me when I was going to update next. I e-mailed him back and told him I wasn't sure when, but i was really busy with school and stuff. Well, he responded to me (with a rather wordy e-mail, I might add) and asked if he could possibly try and write an upcoming chapter. I told him that was fine with me, as long as I write the next one, he can pick up where I leave up. Well, that was a while ago and I updated a few weeks later, thinking since we never really talked about it any further, I didn't think it was going to follow through. A few days, ago, however, an e-mail pops up in my account and who was it from? Hacen! He asked me if the offer was still good and I told him that it was, of course. (what kind of author would I be if I want readers to have some control over this story and then not let someone write a chapter?) He sent me this, and it was perfect, so, anyway, credit to Hacen on this chapter. Neither he nor I own Lizzie McGuire.  
  
Chapter Sixteen  
  
During the short flight to Maui, Gordo could feel himself getting more and more nervous about how everything would turn out. The part of him that had spent years hating Lizzie for cheating on him with Ethan was sure that she was going to lose this for them tonight by flirting and dancing, and for all he knew about her anymore, she may actually kiss someone at a club. Of course, the majority of him knew it was stupid to think that way. Lizzie had explained what had happened and he believed her. It still made him feel like an idiot to think of missing out on all those years over a simple misunderstanding.  
  
"We'll be arriving shortly. As soon as we get to your hotel you are going to be disguised and taken to the club. Have fun tonight, Gentlemen." Gordo took a deep breathe after listening to Ryan fill them in on what was about to happen as the small plane slowed to a stop.  
  
Once they had all been shuttled to the hotel, a group of four makeup artists, one for each of the guys, began working on disguises. In under an hour all four had been transformed into what they hoped were unrecognizable versions of themselves. Gordo was still not happy about getting stuck with a moustache and Hawaiian style shirt.   
  
"I look like Magnum P.I." Everyone else in the room laughed at his remark, but he'd been serious and really didn't see the humor. Gordo looked again in the mirror and was about to question why nothing had been done with his hair when Ryan walked in and told them it was time to get going. Gordo shrugged and walked out of the room and into the waiting Limo out front of the hotel.  
  
"Who do you guys think well lose the most points tonight?" James asked. "I bet Tory will have the hardest time with guys hitting on her. She's the hottest out of the four."  
  
"I know I'd ask her to. . .dance." Thomas said with a smile. "But she doesn't seem like the type that would just talk to anyone. I bet she uses the "I'm with someone" line just to avoid most of the guys tonight."  
  
"How about you Daniel? You share the love hut with her. Is she really as cold as she comes off during the competitions?" James asked Gordo.  
  
Gordo almost forgot to answer to the name Daniel, being that his mind was a thousand miles away. He was thinking of Lizzie. The past and the present forms of her and wondering how he'd ever convinced himself he could be okay without her.  
  
"Yo, Earth to Daniel!" George said from beside him while waving his hand in front of his face.  
  
"Uh?!" Gordo looked around at the other faces and realized he had missed something.  
  
"We were trying to figure out who would lose the most points tonight. Is Tory really like she is for the cameras?" Gordo was still confused for a few moments. Why would he care what Tory was like, he only cared about Lizzie.  
  
"Oh, right." Everything clicked into place for him at once. "Um, yeah. For the most part, although she does have her moments."  
  
"Okay then." James said, giving a weird look to Gordo.  
  
"I just hope Jane doesn't get drunk." Thomas said, breaking in. "She told me the other night how she turns into the biggest flirt when she gets too much alcohol in her. If she has more than a few drinks I'm sure we'll be the two to go."   
  
James and George both exchanged looks. Even with the game being scripted and rigged, there was no reason to not take advantage of every weakness that someone let slip. Gordo saw the looks on their faces and felt sorry for Jane, simply because she was going to wake up tomorrow with one mega hangover if the two guys smiling big had their way about it.  
  
"I just hope tonight goes quickly and doesn't drag out." Gordo said more to himself than anyone else.  
  
"Well, I for one am more than ready to do a little partying tonight. We've been spending too much time on that island for my tastes." James replied.  
  
When they arrived at the club, they were ushered directly inside and told to find a good place to spy on the girls before they started allowing people in. The four of them spread out over the club, George sitting in a back both, James hanging around the dance floor, Thomas sitting at a table about mid way between the main door and the bar, and Gordo took the seat at the bar that was farthest from the door.  
  
After just a few minutes people started to stream in and they were soon lost in the crowd and hopefully inconspicuous. Gordo thought he caught a glimpse of Lizzie entering, but wasn't sure. He scanned the room every few minutes until he found the four girls sitting at a table and talking while sipping on various drinks.   
  
"Now how am I supposed to spy on them without staring?" Gordo mumbled to himself after realizing what it must have looked like to anyone else in the club when he had been staring ahead blankly at a table full of women.  
  
At the table, Gordo's staring had not gone unnoticed. "Don't look now, but some Jackass has been staring for five minutes straight from the bar." Elizabeth said.  
  
Lizzie tried to suppress the initial reaction to hearing her speak and played the part of Tory. "Probably can't keep his eyes off us. Can't say that I blame him, I have trouble not staring at myself sometimes." Inside she cringed while she giggled at her own joke, along with the other girls.  
  
"I dare you to go talk to him." Elizabeth said to Tory. "Go up and get us some more drinks and just start talking to him. See what happens."  
  
"I'm not usually the type. . ." Lizzie caught herself before finishing the sentence. Fact was, she really didn't know what type of person Tory usually was, but going up and talking to some random guy at a club was not something on her own personal list of fun things to do. "Well, why not."  
  
"Hey can you get me something strong?" Jane asked as Lizzie stood up from her seat. "And make it a double?"   
  
"Sure thing. Anybody else?" Mary and Elizabeth both declined, since their drinks were more than half full. 'Here goes nothing' Lizzie thought as she made her way around groups of people to the bar. She ended up standing right next to the guy Elizabeth had pointed out. "I need a double shot of the strongest stuff you've got and a. . ."  
  
"Pina Colada?"   
  
Lizzie turned to look at the guy who had just taken the words from her mouth to find him looking down at the bar with his mouth over his hand. There was something familiar about him, but she just shook it off and nodded to the bar tender that pina colada was correct, "Virgin, please."  
  
"That was a lucky guess." Lizzie said, trying to get a better look at his face.  
  
"Sorry about that, I just couldn't control myself for some reason." Gordo wanted to get up and walk away. Not only was this awkward but he was sure they were losing points just by talking to each other. He was technically a guy that she was on the borderline of flirting with.  
  
"That's okay, just caught me off guard a little." The drinks were placed in front of her but just as she was about to pick them up and walk away Gordo made the mistake of looking up and their eyes met. Even with the moustache and a prosthetic nose, Lizzie knew those eyes.  
  
Rather than say anything though, she somehow caught her emotions and just kept turning and walked away from him. For a moment Gordo thought that maybe she hadn't actually recognized him, but when she looked back at him with a clear question on her face, he knew that she knew who he was.  
  
He was happy to see that she was just playing it off though and acted as if she didn't realize who he was. Gordo didn't remember being told about any disqualifications or anything, but he did not want to chance getting sent home because Lizzie and he were truthfully so close that she knew him simply by his eyes. They still had some things to get worked out before he was ready to return to life without her. 


	17. Chapter Seventeen

A/N: Okay, so first of all forgive me for my absence. I guess I was emotionally distraught over high school drama that I got in the middle of and then I sort of forgot all the small details of the story and avoided this story. It's not a good excuse and it's totally my fault and I still can't promise consistency or anything, it being summer and all, but for what it's worth, here's an update.  
  
Chapter Seventeen  
  
Lizzie walked away from Gordo very awkwardly. What was he doing there? She walked back to the girls with a strange expression on her face and the girls back at the table waited for her to say something, "So..." Elizabeth finally said, "Was that guy creepy or what?"  
  
Lizzie nodded her head, "Yeah, he was creepy alright." She looked back at the bar as she sat down and noticed he quickly turned away with his back turned toward her.  
  
Jane drank all her drink and then wiped her face before standing up, "Okay, ladies. You all have fun. I'm going to go dance and meet some boys." Jane walked away.  
  
"Okay, you do that," Elizabeth said, rolling her eyes and turning to Lizzie and Mary, "What a lush! I mean, I know she isn't drunk yet, but I bet by the time this night it over, she'll be throwing up big time."  
  
"Oh, I don't know," Mary said, "I mean, I know she drinks a lot, but I don't think she has a problem."  
  
"Oh, sure," Elizabeth said, waving Mary off and reaching for her bag for a cigarette, "You know, I only feel sorry for Thomas who has to live with her. He says she never shuts up."  
  
Lizzie, feeling out of place and feeling uncomfortable talking about this, said nothing. Instead, she spied back at the bar to see if Gordo was still there. He was, with his hideous mustache and Hawaiian shirt and everything. Only, this time, he was talking to a guy who was wearing a golf hat and a yellow and blue striped shirt. She wondered if that was another one of the guys and figuring that anything could happen on this show, it probably was. She decided to call attention to this, "Hey, guys," she said, pointing over to the bar, "Check out that hideous looking guy talking to G—I mean my stalker at the bar."  
  
Elizabeth and Mary turned to look and both laughed, "What a goober!" Elizabeth said, "I mean, I think it should be a law that ugly people should be banned from this bar. Oh, look," she said as if she was going to crack up. The guy turned around and was looking on the dance floor, "The guy is completely starring at Jane!!!"  
  
Just then, a guy walked up and tapped Elizabeth on the shoulder. Elizabeth looked up and then back at the two girls, mouthing, "Yummy." The guy asked her to dance and she accepted and stood up, taking the guy's hand.  
  
"These people crack me up," Mary said, "I mean, just between you and me, Jane isn't the one with the biggest problem here. I think Elizabeth has an ego the size of Texas. She thinks she can get any guy she wants and constantly complains about that trailer. She's completely jealous of Jane and is manipulating all of us to play her little game."  
  
Lizzie nodded her head. Finally, she met someone who was on her level, "Elizabeth has bothered me since day one."  
  
Mary nodded, "I mean, okay Tory, I'll level with you. The first few days here, I was looking for the bitch. You know, all reality shows have someone they label the 'bitch,' and I thought for the first couple of days, that bitch would be you, but I was completely wrong. You couldn't be one if you tried. You may be rich or whatever, but you aren't all mushy about it."  
  
Lizzie nodded her head. Damn, she'd probably get flack about this from the real Tory...the real Tory would probably love Elizabeth. "So," Mary said, changing the subject, "what do you think of Daniel?"  
  
Lizzie shifted in her chair. It was the million dollar question and she needed all the lifelines she could get, "He's okay. How's George?"  
  
Mary nodded her head, "He's okay. He's really sweet. I'd probably date him after the show."  
  
Lizzie nodded her head, "That's cool. He seems like a nice guy."  
  
Mary nodded his head, "We talked about going up to his lake house after we finish taping. I told him I'd think about it."  
  
A guy walked up to their table and asked who was willing was up for a dance. Mary and Lizzie exchanged glances and Mary finally stood up, "I'll dance with you."  
  
Lizzie nodded her head. She took her last gulp of Pina Colada and decided to head back to the bar. Partly because she wanted another drink and partly because she was curious about this Gordo thing. She walked up to the bar, only this time, Golf-hat goober was no longer there.  
  
He turned to her, "Ahh, back for more so soon?"  
  
Lizzie nodded her head strangely, internally dying to laugh, but trying to keep it in, knowing that this would probably hurt her chances somehow, "Yeah, I guess I just couldn't resist."  
  
He was curious as to why she wasn't dancing, but figured that would just cause some confusion. He didn't want to leave Hawaii the next day. He actually thought they might have a chance in winning. "Well," he said once she had her drink, "I should probably get going now," he nodded as he spoke, then realized he couldn't leave. He leaned in, "I really have to take a pee."  
  
Lizzie nodded, trying to maintain her composure. Gordo could be funny if he really wanted to, and it probably helped that he looked funny, "Well, you do that," she said, "I'm going to go back to my table now," and she took her new virgin Pina Colada with her.  
  
Back at the table, she scoped out the dance floor. Not only was dancing not her thing, but now that she knew that Gordo was here, she felt awkward.  
  
In the meantime, Gordo returned from the bathroom and ran into Thomas and James, Thomas was the guy in the golf hat and James was bald and was wearing washed jeans and a polo shirt. He fit in...about twenty-five years ago. "So, Daniel," James said, "Has Tory had any steamy make-out sessions or flirted yet?"  
  
Gordo shook his head, "Nope."  
  
He was quite proud of Lizzie. He knew that she knew something was up, but couldn't help but wonder if she wasn't doing anything because she had possible feelings for him.  
  
Another hour passed and all the girls had lost some points. Lizzie wasn't going to do anything, but she figured it wouldn't hurt her if she danced a few times and then talked to a guy or two. It was harmless, she thought, and it wasn't as if Gordo was asking her to dance.  
  
So, the night went on and the girls were pretty much ready to leave on account of Jane's drinking by midnight. Jane was drunk and didn't feel so well, so they all headed back to their hotel and went to their rooms without saying another word.  
  
They guys headed to their own hotel shortly after. All of them were nervous about what would come, but Gordo was pretty sure that despite Lizzie's talking to other guys and dancing with them, she could have been worse. They were at a dance club, after all. For her not to dance would have been unusual. He would have preferred, however, that she didn't want to dance with the other guys.  
  
-  
  
The next morning, the guys had an earlier flight back to their original living quarters while the girls got to sleep in a little and enjoy having a nice lunch on the coast before heading home. Jane was suffering from drinking so much and wasn't feeling so well and the ride home definitely didn't help.  
  
As soon as the girls got back, they were immediately to meet up in the mansion. Everyone was there when the host, Ryan appeared and said, "Good afternoon, everyone. I hope you ladies had fun last night. As for you gentlemen, I hope you also had fun. Ladies, last night while you were out at the dance club, these guys were put hard to work. They were spying on you. Some of you may recognize the following pictures," he said and he uncovered a board behind him that was covered and showing the made-up guys from the night before. Gasps were heard and exchanged looks spread as he said who was whom. "What you ladies don't know was that last night was a test. These men were watching your every move and if you danced, flirted, or kissed another guy, you would lose points."  
  
"There is something else you need to know," he said, looking at all the people in the room with his hands folded together, "The couple with the least amount of points is leaving this island tonight and therefore is banned from the competition. Any questions?"  
  
The girls looked at each other nervously, but Lizzie felt a little better knowing exactly what was going on. She was pretty confident that she lost.  
  
A TV was presented beside Ryan, "Now, what you are about to watch is yourselves," he said, and after that, we will announce who is staying and who is leaving."  
  
The TV played and they all watched the tape of the girls dancing, talking with other guys, and even some lip action. The girls gasped and blushed as the guys watched and after that, Ryan once again asked for their attention as they waited for the suspense of who was going home.  
  
--  
  
A/N: Okay, for the simple reason that I have other questions from previous questions to include, this question is going to be pretty simple.  
  
I, as the author, have a pretty good idea who I am sending home. Without releasing my idea, I ask you, the reader, who you think should go home and why? You could convince me to change my mind. I want to update by this weekend.  
  
The couples are as follows:  
  
Tory/Daniel (Lizzie/Gordo)  
  
Mary/George  
  
Jane/Thomas  
  
Elizabeth/James  
  
If you don't have an opinion, it's really okay. If you notice any mistakes with the pairings or something else (b/c it has been two and a half months) let me know. I noticed in the fourteenth chapter that James was apparently flirting with himself, so I suppose I should change that... 


	18. Chapter Eighteen

A/N: Yeah, so I guess there isn't a really good excuse as to why I haven't updated more this summer other than like becoming addicted to solitare on the computer—yes, the card game. School starts way too soon.

Chapter Eighteen

"Okay, let's start with the couple with the most points. The couple with the most points, with negative sixteen points by the end of the night is Tory and Daniel. Tory and Daniel, you will be staying here for the time being," Ryan announced.

Lizzie and Gordo smiled, admittedly happy that they were staying for their own reasons.

"The couple that had the second to most amount of points, with negative nineteen points by the end of last night is Mary and George. You, too, will be staying here tonight."

Lizzie smiled at Mary, happy that Mary was staying with her for at least a few more days.

"And now for the other two couples," Ryan said, directing his focus on Elizabeth and James and then Jane and Thomas, "It was pretty close between you too, but unfortunately, there was someone who had one kiss too many last night. Remember, the couple that had lost the most points last night will be packing up as soon as this is over and leaving the island tonight. Now, the couple with the second to least amount of points last night was...Elizabeth and James with negative twenty-eight points. This means that Jane and Thomas, with negative thirty-one points, I'm sorry, but you will be leaving tonight. Say your goodbye's to everyone now, for you won't be seeing them tonight."

Jane and Thomas stood up and slowly so did everyone else as they said goodbye and hugged everyone before being directed toward the mansion so they could pack their things. Soon after that, the rest of them were released, but told that there would be interviews and then time for relaxation and that their production meeting would happen at some point before dinner.

Lizzie and Gordo returned to their hut and it was weird because both of them really wanted to get the full story on the night before and for reasons they couldn't explain, they were happy to still be there, but not just for the money. Ever since they "reunited" that morning, Lizzie felt strangely attracted to Gordo. She wanted badly to override these feelings with the explanation of that he looked really ugly the night before, but decided it wasn't worth the extra stress. Attractions come and go, and this strange attraction would probably disappear by the end of that night. But for now, the clean-shaven, curly haired, brown eyed, sensitive, witty, former best friend was the only thing she wanted to think about. Maybe the possibilities were endless, after all.

While Lizzie was thinking about Gordo, Gordo was thinking about Lizzie. He'd thought about her a lot in the past several days, and became sorry that he let her go in the first place. Ever since he learned the truth about Ethan, he began to realize how stupid their break-up was in the first place. And at the club the night before, he was beginning to get the feeling that maybe he wasn't the only one feeling something other than hatred. Lizzie only danced with a few people and talked to a few men. Gordo watched her the whole night and not once did he see her kiss someone or exchange any phone numbers. He wanted to ask her to dance, but didn't know if that would be cheating. He peered over at Lizzie, who was reading a magazine and wondered if she ever thought they had a change. His feelings for her were becoming stronger every day and it was at the point where he couldn't really deny it any longer: certain feelings he felt in high school were resurfacing.

Gordo sat on his side of the bed, took off his shoes and lay down. Only to prop his head up with his hands on his pillow minutes later, "Lizzie?" he asked.

"Hmm?" Lizzie asked, not really looking up from her magazine.

He had her attention. Now what? "Um, so, if we win, what do you think you will do with the money?"

Lizzie put the magazine down on her lap and shrugged, "Well, I think I'm going to pay bills, first. Then, after that, I think I might travel and then save the rest," she said, then nodded toward him, "What about you?"

Gordo shrugged, "Oh, I don't know. I think I might travel some after tie up some loose ends and then probably buy a new car."

"What kind of car do you drive now?"

"The same car I drove when I was in high school."

"Wow. Even I have a different car."

"Well," Gordo said, defensively, "I had other things to worry about other than getting a new car."

Lizzie smiled, "Yeah, maybe you should consider putting some of that money towards plastic surgery. That look last night worked well for you."

"Ha ha," Gordo said, and then he added "I don't need plastic surgery to look like the sexy beast that I am."

"Oh, right," Lizzie said, going along with him in a sarcastic tone.

Both of them laughed and then after they calmed down, the two exchanged smiles and a moment of wonderment, until Gordo decided to go for it, "You know, Lizzie—"he started, until the phone interrupted him. Their was one phone in the Love Hut and neither of them had used it. It was next to Gordo, so he answered it, "Hello?" he said.

"Why, he-llo," the voice, who was obviously a woman and Gordo didn't recognize her voice, said, "You must be Daniel. This is Caroline, a dear friend of Tory's. Is she there?"

"Sure. Hold on a sec. Gordo looked at Lizzie and held the phone in his hand, "It's your friend, Caroline. Wait—isn't that your cousin?"

Lizzie's eyes widened, "Shh!" she said to Gordo, "I don't want Caroline to know about this." Lizzie took the phone from Gordo, took a deep breath, and spoke, "Hi, Caroline! How are you?"

"Why, Victoria! I happen to be excellent. Are you having a good time?"

"Oh," Lizzie said, trying to think of an answer her cousin would like to hear, "only the best."

Gordo watched Lizzie as she talked with her cousin, curiously. He wanted to see how she's answer the questions she asked, even if they were lies. Caroline spoke loud enough so he could hear what they were both saying.

"That's good to hear. So tell me, how is this Daniel person?"

Lizzie glanced over at Gordo, and could tell that he was listening. Not that she'd tell Caroline the truth, but she didn't really know how to answer the question, "He's fine."

"Would Tory date him?"

"I don't know. I've only met her once or twice."

"Okay fine. Would I date him?"

Lizzie shook her head, "I don't think so."

"Oh, well, maybe that doesn't mean anything. Is he cute?"

"Yeah, Lizzie said and with that Gordo started grinning, that is, until she added, "I guess he is."

"Well, that's good. Who knows, Liz, maybe you will end up together by the end of this. It might be kind of nice to see you out there and dating someone again. Maybe you can even invite this Daniel person to my wedding," Caroline said, in a by the way type of manner."

Lizzie blinked, "You're getting married?"

"But of course! Peter finally proposed to me last night after dinner at the Country Club."

"Good for you!" Lizzie said, "I'm so happy for you."

Caroline giggled, "Anyway, that's not the only reason I called you. The primary reason I am calling you, after checking up on you, of course, was to make sure you aren't doing anything stupid or acting like a prude. You may have to live with your face and reputation, but its Tory who has to live with the name and I don't want them to get the wrong idea about Tory."

"Okay," Lizzie said, feeling slightly awkward. Was her cousin always this...bitchy?

"Anyway, I do hope that you are having a great time and Tory has invited the both of us to her lake house when you get back."

"Okay. I'll think about it."

"Oh, you should come. Hey! You can even bring Daniel if all of this works out! I have to go now, though. Have a good time!"

"Thanks," Lizzie said, "Bye!"

Caroline had already hung up, though. Lizzie did the same, as she thought about what her cousin had just said, "I can't believe the nerve of that girl," Lizzie mumbled.

"I know," Gordo said, nodding his head, "I didn't mean to, but I heard the whole thing. What does she have up her ass, anyway? And what is the real Tory like?"

Lizzie shook her head, "Well, she's rich and apparently smart and not a prude."

"Oh, don't listen to her. Take it from someone who has known you for all your life: you are intellectual and you are most definitely not a prude," he said, then he realized that might have sounded wrong, "Not that you are a slut or anything, but..."

Lizzie grinned, "Gordo?" she said, looking at Gordo, "You can stop now. I get the idea and thank you."

"You're welcome," Gordo said, grinning.

Just when another moment of awkward silence was about to occur someone knocked on the door. "They must want us for an interview," Lizzie said.

"Yeah," Gordo said, as he watched Lizzie get up and disappear to answer the door. She was right. Gracie, one of the producers, was on the other side and asked for Tory to come with her. Without looking back, Lizzie followed and headed toward the interview room, wondering what she was going to talk about and if this small crush on Gordo would go away.

After the twenty minute interview was over, where she commented on the loss of Jane and Thomas, her growing relationship with Daniel, and the trip the night before, she headed back to the Love Hut, looking forward to more time alone with Gordo.

However, as soon as Lizzie left the mansion, the host, Ryan, wanted to talk to her.

"Tory," he said, running o catch up with her and he lightly touched her arm when he did, "Would you like to go for a little walk?"

"Um," Lizzie said, looking at her hut which was about one hundred yards away from them, "Sure."

"Okay," he said, leading her to a different direction, "So, Tory...is that short for Victoria or something, you know, like Tori Spelling?"

"Yeah," Lizzie said, wishing at this point that she'd turned him down, "Are you sure we aren't going to get in trouble with this?"

"Ha! Are you kidding me? We have another two hours until that production meeting. These people don't actually care what we do with our free time. Anyway, so where in New York are you from? I'm a Jersey boy myself."

"Um...the Hamptons," Lizzie said, not that she actually knew where the real Tory lived or where the Hamptons was located. All she knew was that it was a place where rich and famous people visited.

"Really? You know, that's not far from where I am. Maybe after this is all through, we can get together."

Lizzie took a deep breath, as she was only half listening to Ryan, "Um, well, you see, the thing is, I think I am moving really soon."

"Really? Where?"

Let's see, Lizzie thought, what was the most random state she could think of to tell this guy. Wyoming...no, she didn't know anything about that place. She did, however, have some distant cousins in Wisconson. "Wisconson."

"Hmm," he said, "I've never been there before. Don't they make good cheese or something?"

"Yeah."

Ryan shook his head, "Anyway, so what do you think of this place?"

Lizzie looked beyond Ryan and noticed Gordo walking toward his interview. She knew she and Ryan weren't exactly hidden, so it didn't really surprise her when he looked over at her and then looked down and walked a little faster to the interview. "It's fine," Lizzie said.

"So, are you and Dan getting along?"

Lizzie thought about how to answer this question, and then she realized she didn't have to answer it, especially since she had been wondering the same lately herself. Lizzie shook her head and backed off a little, "I don't think that is actually any of your business," Lizzie said, backing off some more, "No, in fact that has nothing to do with you."

Ryan, who was taken aback by Lizzie's reaction, sort of flustered, "I'm sorry, Tory. I just wanted to know if I was wasting my time."

"Well," a miffed Lizzie said, "You are wasting your time whether or not I do like Gordo."

Ryan looked at her confused, "Who the hell is Gordo?"

Lizzie blushed slightly, "I meant Daniel. Anyway, I would never in my life dare to even consider dating the likes of you," Lizzie said, storming off.

Not once did Lizzie look back to see how Ryan was reacting as she headed back to the hut and cried as soon as she could. She didn't mean what she said to Ryan, but her mind was too clustered to worry about hurting anyone's feelings. She didn't know what suddenly ticked in her mind that got her so upset, but it was almost like she was looking for an excuse to get mad at someone and an excuse to blow up at someone. Things were getting more and more complicated each minute with her and Gordo and she didn't have any answers for herself. She had no idea what she wanted.

A/N: Okay, here is a question for you.

Who gets to live in the mansion now that Jane and Thomas are gone?


	19. Chapter Nineteen

A/N: If I titled chapters, this chapter would be titled, "Joe Schmo Wannabe," because well, betwixt all the twists and turns of this story, their is still a large hole in the plot that has yet to have been revealed...until now. I'm only explaining you this so you can better understand the chapters coming after this because the plot of this reality show is about to shake.

Chapter Nineteen

While everything was stirring in Hawaii, there were also some interesting things brewing in New York and Chicago, with a large connection linking the two in California. Four different time zones--one complex plan.

Once upon a time, Miranda Sanchez worked for a major ad agency. One day, in early September, she received a phone call from her best friend, Lizzie's cousin, Caroline.

"Okay," Caroline said, "First of all, this might take a while to explain, so I hope you have time."

Miranda, interested in why her friend, who she rarely talked to these days in the first place, had a cousin who was calling her up, "Okay. What is it?"

"Right, so, My friend, Victoria had this long lasting relationship in high school and college and she signed up for a reality show that involved love and second chances...only she thought it was a chance for new love. Anyway, she told me that she met a guy and couldn't go through with it. I just got off the phone with her ex's best friend and he thinks the show has been cancelled. The thing is, it hasn't really. She's under a contract. I told her I'd take care of it, though, because if Tory ever heard the actual idea of the show, I knew there would be trouble, so I was thinking this is where you come in."

Thoroughly confused by this, Miranda said, "How did you get this number?"

"The power of the internet. Anyway, Miranda, I was thinking about replacements and I almost immediately thought about Lizzie. Didn't she date some guy for a really long time? She called him Gordy or something."

"Do you mean Gordo?"

"Probably."

"Well, do you think that would work?"

"Do I think what would work?"

"Do you think you could somehow manage Lizzie and Gordo to agree to appearing on this show."

"Nope. Not in a million years. They don't speak to each other anymore."

"Well, they won't know who the other person is to begin with. They will think that they are going to be living with complete strangers."

"Caroline...they have a really strong history with each other. I seriously doubt they will want to highlight this all to America."

"Yeah, but isn't Lizzie single? Has she really dated anyone since this guy?"

"Well, she's single, but this is really unreasonable."

"Don't you want to see Lizzie happy? Don't you want to know why your best friends aren't dating and aren't even friends? They'll get paid. If it doesn't work out, they don't ever have to see each other again."

Miranda thought about this for a minute. There was something appealing about this idea and tempting to try out, but she didn't know why. She sighed, "Okay, fine. What do I have to do?"

"Great! I'll handle Lizzie and if you could take care of Gordo. Just remember that he's going to have to pretend his name is Daniel and Lizzie will pretend her name is Tory."

"Okay," Miranda said and they hung up the phone.

A few days later, Miranda received another call from Caroline, followed by a call from her old friend, Lizzie, both telling her that she was going to be on reality television.

Miranda, who was trying to come up with a believable way to have Gordo agree, called his friend, Pete, that she met when she visited Gordo and told him what was going on. He acted eager to help out, waited for Caroline to forward the information, and then persuaded the less than eager Gordo to participate under the name Daniel, excusing them for privacy issues.

All systems seemed go. Pete, Caroline, and Daniel seemed to have everything under control and while Miranda seemed the most worried out of all of them, knowing that this could all end up as a really bad disaster, everything was cool.

In fact, after they had left and hadn't called any of them to tell them how it was going, it almost seemed too cool. Miranda expected a call from Lizzie to tell her what was going on, Pete expected a call from Gordo to tell him what was going on, and Caroline expected to be called from Lizzie because it was her idea and. Almost a week into the plan, they contacted each other and decided that they needed to know what was going on. After a while, Caroline volunteered herself to call her cousin, saying she would pretend that she was making sure she wasn't doing anything stupid.

Hours later, Caroline called Miranda and Pete to let them know that, "Lizzie seems to be having a good time. It was obvious that she was trying to hide something. She said everything was going fine and that Daniel was cute. She seemed nervous, but I think there is hope for them, because she didn't seem angry or anything."

They hung up and Miranda called Pete to talk to him alone, "Listen, Caroline calling them was helpful, but I still have no idea what is going on between them, and to tell you the truth, I'm getting a little nervous. I have a feeling that this might be ugly. Anyway, I'm thinking about calling the producers or something to see if they will let at least one of them come down and be a part of something. Do you think they'll let that happen?"

"Possibly. They have over a week before they get home and I'm sure they could use a little help from friends."

"Okay. I'm calling the first thing in the morning."

In case you are unclear, the entire premis of the show is a show within a show. The actual show is entitled, "Second Chance," where there is one ex-couple within the mix and the rest are actors and actresses. If they don't let anyone else know that they actually used to date, they'll win a certain amount of money, while theu think they are on a show called "The Perfect Connection." It's planned for them on purpose and the whole point is so they are forced to step outside their boundaries. Everyone thinks they know something that someone else doesn't. It's sort of like Joe Schmo, only maybe a little more complicated.

Now, like I said, the purpose of me bringing this up now is because something is going to happen in a future chapter that is a result of all this secrecy. Your job is determine what.

a) Lizzie overhears one of the actor's interview and hears something suspiscious.

b) Gordo finds a hidden camera in their room

c) One of them sees the actress who played Elizabeth hanging out in the mansion.

or something completely different.

Tell me what you thing of this chapter...


	20. Chapter Twenty

A/N: Hay! Thanks for the reviews. One thing is that for the last question, one of the options was seeing Elizabeth hanging out in the mansion, when I really meant Jane. Sorry about that.

Chapter Twenty

"Come on, Gordo," Lizzie said, frustrated as she frantically looked for her shoes, "We're going to be late for the production meeting."

"What do you want me to do? I don't know where your shoes are!"

Lizzie rolled her eyes, "Gordo! Don't just sit there! You could help me look for them!"

"Fine," Gordo said, getting up from the bed and mumbling a few curse words as he looked under the bed and around the room, "What do they look like?"

"They're sandals."

"Didn't you bring, like, twenty other pairs of shoes?"

"Yeah, but that's not the point. Those are the only shoes that go with this outfit," Lizzie said.

Okay, so maybe she was stalling a little bit, as it didn't really matter what her shoes looked like, but she was in the mood to be aggravated over something.

Gordo sighed, "Lizzie, just find some other shoes to wear. We're already five minutes late!"

Lizzie huffed, "Fine," she said, "but if I can't find these shoes, you are going to buy me a new pair," she said, as she headed for the door.

Gordo rolled his eyes, but decided to refrain from arguing, "Fine, I'll get you new shoes."

Lizzie smiled frustrated as she held the door open and waited for Gordo to lead the way. Gordo managed to keep up with Lizzie as she stomped her way to the mansion. When they got there, it was obvious that everyone else was waiting for them. "What took you so long?" Greg asked.

"Sorry, sir," Lizzie said, "I couldn't find my shoes."

"It's okay," Greg said, "Now, its been over thirty six hours since our last meeting, so we have a few changes we would like to make. First of all, I've looked over the footage and I think Tory and Daniel have great physical chemistry. They complement each other with their looks and style. Unfortunately, I haven't really seen enough physical chemistry between the two of you to make me believe that you could like each other."

Lizzie gulped, wanting to glance over at Gordo to see how he reacted but at the same time, not wanting to deal with that, "So, anyway, I don't think it would hurt if the other two couples commented on how good they looked together and if possibly Tory and Daniel could respond to that with a little public display of affection, that would be great." The other couples nodded their head as if this were no big deal.

"Now, as for the other two couples, you are doing a pretty good job as far as what you're expected to do, but if their was a little more tension between Elizabeth and James, but just enough so there is room for revelations and forgiveness tomorrow. Also, Mary and George, I'm not asking for you to fight or have a flat out brawl, but if Mary could exhibit a little annoyance with George tonight, I think people would realize that you two aren't as perfect as you seem to be on the camera."

Mary and George agreed to this and so did Elizabeth and James, but before they were released for dinner, Greg had to add one more thing, "Now that Jane and Thomas are gone, there is room for one of the couples to stay in the mansion. Not tonight, but tomorrow, there will be some type of competition for it. Also, don't forget that there is a hot tub behind the mansion that would love some company. Other than that, dinner should be downstairs and I will see you tomorrow at nine sharp."

Everyone left and headed for dinner. Dinner was pretty uneventful as Lizzie was trying to plot the night out with Gordo and Gordo was sort of doing the same. The conversation between the other two couples might has well have been Greek to Lizzie and Gordo.

After dinner, Elizabeth suggested that they go outside and hang out and have a few drinks. They agreed and before they knew it, they were all out there having a good time. Elizabeth was sitting on James' lap, sort of leading the conversation as Mary and George were sitting in their own chairs, but holding hands. Lizzie and Gordo were sharing a bench.

"So," Elizabeth said, pointing at Lizzie an Gordo, "Did you two know that you look amazing together?"

Lizzie blushed, even though she knew she had it coming, "Really? You think?"

Elizabeth nodded, "Uh-huh," she said, "Like, seriously, If I looked like you, Tory, I'd be all over someone like Daniel because not only is he hot but I'm pretty sure he'd make me feel hot."

Lizzie laughed, realizing that Elizabeth was a little drunk. She smiled, "Thank you."

"Don't you agree with me, Mary?" Elizabeth said, "I mean, we are all pretty good looking people, but, like you and me don't look nearly as good standing next to Daniel as Tory does. I mean...Damn!"

Mary nodded, sipping her Bloody Mary, "You two do look really good together," she said to Tory.

It was then that Gordo, not knowing if this was stupid or smart, decided to pt his arm around Lizzie. Lizzie shifted slightly, but tried to hide it with a smile.

Elizabeth stood up, "Okay, well, I have a proposal. Why don't we all go get changed and meet back at the hot tub in, like, ten minutes? Come on, Jamie, you can help me pick out a bathing suit."

Elizabeth and James left, followed by Mary and George, and then after quickly glancing at each other awkwardly, Lizzie and Gordo got up as well.

Ten minutes later, they were all in the hot tub. Lizzie was wearing a baby blue bikini and Gordo was wearing blue boxers and they were the last couple to come in and when they noticed that the girls were sitting on the guys' laps, they decided that's what they'd do. This made Gordo feel slightly nervous, knowing that he could potentially become excited if he wasn't careful, but he didn't know what else to do. Lizzie sat on his lap and he put his arms around her waist as they joined in on the conversation. Less than ten minutes later, however, Mary and George excused themselves, after having a slight "argument." This left them with Elizabeth and James, who had shifted their attention to themselves, leaving Lizzie and Gordo to deal with each other.

Lizzie turned to Gordo and after taking in a breath leaned in and gave him a small kiss, and then, for the heck of it, added a giggle as she leaned back in and she shared another, longer kiss. As the kiss grew deeper, they both seemed to forget what was really going on as Gordo pulled Lizzie closer to him and they seemed to feel a little more comfortable tongue tied than they did a few nights before. They didn't know exactly how much time had passed as they sat there in passion. Lizzie didn't even let it become awkward when she could feel Gordo's excitement in his bathing suit. She just let it happen, hoping that Gordo would somehow get the idea that she was open to falling in love with him again.

When they parted for air, they realized that they were the only ones there. Gordo cleared his throat, as he still held her pretty tightly in his arms on his lap, "Maybe we should go in our room."

"Yeah," Lizzie said, looking from Gordo's lips to his eyes. She didn't want to stop kissing him, as her feelings for him were becoming more intense. She forgot what it felt like to kiss someone she was in love with. She slowly stood up and got out of the tub and Gordo followed. After drying off for a short time, they started back for the hut.

When they got there, they got dressed and ready for bed. Neither of them could stop thinking about their time in the hot tub. Maybe the feelings they were having were mutual.

It was just something else to sleep on that night before they would wake up for another, hopefully less exciting day.

But then Gordo thought about the host, Ryan. What was up with Lizzie and him earlier that day? Was that planned?


	21. Chapter Twenty One

A/N: Thanks for the reviews. This story is a lot of fun to write, although I have no idea when it will end. Thanks for the patience.

Chapter Twenty-One

Lizzie was the first one to wake up the next morning. It was still pretty early, and whn she looked over, she noticed Gordo was still sleeping like a baby. "Finally," she thought as she quietly left the room. One disadvantage about sharing a bed with someone is if they are having trouble sleeping, so are you. Lizzie heard him the night before, tossing and turning and of course, because Lizzie also had the trait of being to analytical couldn't help but wonder if he couldn't sleep because he was thinking about...well her.

Lizzie started the coffee as she checked to see what was in their refrigerator. Everyone was responsible for their own breakfast on this show, although everything was stocked before hand. Lizzie grabbed some yogurt and placed it on the table as she dragged the chair out so she could sit down. She heard the loud noise it made, but didn't care. She wanted Gordo to be up with her, anyway. She was the type of person that preferred people to seclusion. Even though she didn't really date during college, but she still hung out with friends with study groups and everything.

Lizzie sighed as she ate her strawberry yogurt and waited for her coffee. It seemed like Gordo wasn't going to wake up. "He's probably avoiding me," she thought, "because he either really enjoyed last night and would think it was awkward or he hated what happened and would think its awkward."

A few minutes later, the coffee seemed be ready, so she poured herself some coffee and sat back down. She was bored. She was tired of thinking about Gordo so much. She looked around for something to do, but nothing seemed to be there. She looked around the cabinets for something else to eat, but she couldn't find anything...until she found the pancake mix. "That's Gordo's favorite breakfast food," she thought as she suddenly had a flashback of when they were dating and she made him pancakes for his sixteenth birthday. She smiled at the memory and decided, "What the hell. I'm bored," and she found other ingredients and utensils.

Twenty minutes later, Lizzie had successfully made five pancakes, two for her and three for Gordo. She was quite proud of herself for doing this as she generally didn't spend too much time in the kitchen, especially with breakfast. She was getting ready to make the last one for Gordo and as she poured the batter, her middle finger hit the skillet and she jumped, screamed, and dropped the rest of the bowl on the floor, all in a matter of seconds. "Shit," she whispered to herself, looking at her middle finger and putting it to her mouth, "I knew I shouldn't have been doing this."

The next thing she knew, Gordo, in his plaid pajama bottoms and t-shirt had rushed in there, seeming a little out of breath, "What? What happened?" he asked, looking at Lizzie next to the stove, the stove with the skillet, and then the floor, putting it all together, "Aw baby," he said, not fully awake enough to realize what he was saying as he walked over to her and took her hand, "did you burn yourself?"

It was hard for Lizzie to hide her smile as she heard him talk, as it was almost like he was confirming that he did like her. Their faces inches away from each other, Lizzie could observe everything about Gordo's face, including the tiny scar above his mouth that he got when he was four from falling off a tricycle. It made her forget about the pain she was feeling for a few seconds, that is, until she realized what she was doing, "Oh my God!" she said, "The pancake!" she said and she turned around, jerking her hand from Gordo's hold, frantically finding the flip thing so she could turn over the pancakes.

When she turned around, Gordo had disappeared. "Gordo?" she called.

Gordo reappeared, holding up a band-aid. "Here," he said, giving the band aid to Lizzie, "You put that on while I finish this pancake.

"Thanks," Lizzie said, watching Gordo as he turned down the oven, as if he'd made pancakes every single day of his life. He put the pancake on the plate with the other pancakes and handed the plate to Lizzie.

"That's quite a breakfast you have there, Lizzie," he commented, "How long have you been up, anyway?"

"A little over a half an hour," Lizzie said, as she reached for a plate after she put on the bandage, "Here," she said, handing him the plate, "Actually, some of these are for you. I already ate some yogurt, so I'm only going to have two."

Gordo accepted the plate, a little surprised, but he shook it off as he put the plate down, "Thanks. Mind if I have some coffee?"

"Go ahead," Lizzie said, sitting down with her two pancakes and coffee. She held up one of the pancakes and tore a piece off. When Gordo glanced over, he just shook his head and laughed. He used to always make fun of the way Lizzie ate pancakes. She liked them plain, without syrup, and she liked to eat it as if it were a piece of bread.

"So," Gordo said, with coffee in one hand and syrup and silverware in the other as he sat down, "what made you get up so early? I mean it can't be seven-thirty. You have another two and a half hours before we need to be somewhere."

Lizzie shrugged, "I know. I guess I'm used to getting up this early. You can go back to bed if you want."

"Do you work early or something? I mean, does your job require you to wake up early?" As he said that, he realized that he didn't even know what she did as a job.

Lizzie smiled, "Well, right now, I'm unemployed."

"Wow," Gordo said, "No wonder you came here."

Lizzie laughed, "Well, I quit my job as a secretary for a law office about a month ago and I was going to start applying for new jobs, but since this came up, I decided I would deal with all of that when I got back. It's not like I'm in debt or anything."

"Oh, I see," Gordo said, as he took a bite of his pancakes.

"What about you? Are you involved in films or something?"

Gordo shook his head as he yawned, "Nope. I'm in sales."

Lizzie tilted her head "Sales? You mean, like, you work at Sears or something?"

"Nope. Stocks, actually."

"Really?" Lizzie said, sounding surprised, "I would never have guessed."

"Neither would I. I hate my job."

"Is that why you are here? So you can quit?"

"Nope," he said, "I lost a bet."

"Oh," she said.

"Yeah...I should have never bet on sports in the first place. I must have been drunk or something because I really don't remember betting in the first place."

"Well, it's a good thing you did," Lizzie said.

Gordo nearly dropped his fork after he heard what she said, "Excuse me?"

Lizzie blushed slightly. She knew she couldn't get away with saying something like that, "I meant that at least you are sharing this experience with someone you know. I could have been uglier and you could have been more dense."

"Oh," he said, nodding his head.

"Also, I don't want to speak too soon, but I think that you and I are getting along a lot better now. I think we might actually leave this show friends."

Gordo smiled, "Yeah, me too."

"And maybe, as we get more comfortable with each other with this next week or so, situations like last night won't be so awkward." Okay, so she had to throw that in there.

Gordo nodded, but said nothing. He wondered what Lizzie was thinking at that very moment. He was almost finished with his pancakes, which he thought were actually pretty good. Lizzie had already finished hers.

"Lizzie, these are really good pancakes."

Lizzie smiled, thankful that he changed the subject, because she was pretty sure if he kept the silence bit up, she would say something she would regret later, "Thanks. Thanks for the bandage."

Gordo got up after taking his last bite, "I'm going to go shave and take a shower. I'll see you later."

Lizzie nodded as she cleaned up the kitchen. She was not all that surprised when she went into the bedroom and saw Gordo, with his shirt off, sprawled on the bed and sleeping, "Oh, boy," Lizzie said to herself as she got ready to take her own shower, "these next few days are going to be really, really long."

&

A/N- Yeah, so this probably wasn't much of a chapter as far as moving things along, but I thought it opened things up. Besides, I have this thing called a computer curfew and well, my time is almost up and I really wanted to post something for you guys. Think of ideas and e-mail me!


	22. Chapter Twenty Two

A/N: Thanks for the reviews! The only reason I really have a computer curfew is because the computer room is also a bedroom. Anyway, here's chapter twenty-two.

Chapter Twenty-Two

An hour later, both of them were awake again and Gordo was taking his shower. Lizzie read a book while she waited. She couldn't really concentrate, though, as other thoughts flooded her mind. She began to think about where their friendship would take them after they were finished here. She lived in California and he lived in Chicago. That meant that it would be nearly impossible for them to see each other nothing would ever be the same.

Neither of them was very attached to their jobs, however, but she didn't want to leave Miranda. She wondered if the thought of Gordo moving back to California crossed his mind. She knew that her feelings for him were somewhat mutual, but she wondered if he'd evened thought about what would happen after the show. It didn't seem too out of line for Lizzie to start thinking about the possibility of her and Gordo dating. At the same time, though, it felt weird for Lizzie to even think about actually crossing the line with Gordo.

Times were getting stranger and stranger as the days passed. Lizzie could barely remember what her life was like before she came here. It all seemed so dull. It had been a really long time since Lizzie had a genuine crush on anyone and it reminded her of how happy she was when she was with Gordo...as a friend or as a significant other. The strangest part of this all was that although Lizzie wanted to talk to Gordo about all of this, she really didn't. In ways, she felt like he already knew, and since he wasn't saying anything, she didn't want to, either.

In the mean time, while Gordo was in the bathroom getting ready for the day, he thought about what he'd often thought about in the past few days...pursuing a relationship with Lizzie. He'd stopped imagining what it would have been like if they'd never broken up, mainly because in the midst of his tossing and turnings of the night before, he'd realized what they had in high school might have been special, but it would probably not be as special as it would be in this situation. He hated to admit it, but he would've forgotten just how lucky he was to be able to share his life with his soul mate.

That was the weird thing about love. It made him think a lot about his life and what the future might bring him and Lizzie. Would he and Lizzie even keep up with each other after the show? They didn't live anywhere near each other, so eventually one of them would have to move. It was so messed up, especially because he let himself think too much about it. Maybe Lizzie wasn't interested at all. He was pretty sure she was, especially after their talk at breakfast, but there was always the possibility that she wasn't. Stranger things had happened...

There was a rap at the door while Gordo was in the shower, so Lizzie went to go see who it was. It turned out to be Gracie, one of the producers, "Hey, I know this is sort of last minute, but if you could get in your morning interview now, we'd like to start competition a little early today because its supposed to rain later this afternoon."

"Um, okay," Lizzie said, then she yelled to Gordo, "Daniel, I'll be right back," she smiled back at Gracie.

"Where are you going?"

"They want me to do an interview right now. If I'm not back by nine, I'll meet up with you."

"Okay," he called back.

Lizzie closed the door behind her as she walked with Gracie. Gracie walked in a sort of brisk pace and Lizzie actually found it hard to keep up with her as they walked the 100 yards it took to get to the mansion. Gracie never looked back at Lizzie, as she looked determined to do something.

This time, when she went into the interview room, it was different. It was the same in that there were cue cards for her to go by, but this time, she sort of agreed with what they were saying.

She said:

"It's like being in a hole but having no arms and legs. I feel like when I look at what all has happened, its sort of a funny situation to be in, but there is no way to escape and no one to tell you what to do. I had no idea what to think of Daniel when we first met, but the longer I'm with him, the more I wonder if we actually have a future. He's a great guy, but this is all really nothing how I expected it to be like. Yesterday was insane and last night, when we kissed, it felt awesome. We were in our own little world. I'm embarrassed to talk about it, really, but I feel like whatever skepticism I actually had before with Daniel is coming to an end. If nothing else, we will definitely keep in touch."

After that, she read some commentaries on certain events that took place, and then she could go back. By then, though, it was time for a meeting with everyone. She headed toward the meeting room, where people were beginning to arrive. Gordo wasn't there yet and she was kind of curious as to where he was, especially after ten minutes had passed and everyone was there except Gordo.

In the meantime, Gordo was getting dressed, and in a rather good mood, so he started whistling as he got dressed. As he was buttoning up his shirt, he started looking around the room, and examining the books on the shelf. Most of them were books on Hawaii and other things, and when he was about to grab his Chapstick from the dresser, he noticed a rather strange object on the dresser, near the back. He'd never really paid all that much attention to the dresser before, but this thing caught his interest. It was at the back of the dresser, against the wall, and it appeared to actually be glued to the dresser. It was almost like a glued door. When he realized he was running late for the meeting, he decided he would examine it later.

Unfortunately as reached to turn off the light, he knocked Lizzie's mascara off the dresser and it fell behind the dresser. "Oops," he thought, as he moved the dresser forward a little to give him more room to get the mascara. The first thing Gordo noticed when he could see what was behind the dresser was electrical sockets. Both outlets were taken, and at first Gordo didn't think about it, but then it suddenly occurred to him that both of the electrical cords were connected to the dresser. The only thing electrical on the desk was a lamp. He quickly picked the mascara up and followed the cords to their origins. The top one led to the lamp. When he followed the bottom one, however, he realized that it led to a hole in the dresser. "Hmm," he thought, "that's weird."

Gordo noticed that the hole in the dresser was actually connected to the thing that looked like a glued door. He looked back at the front and noticed that there was a smaller hole in the front of the door that before he thought was some type of button. He was trying to figure out what it was, when he realized he knew exactly what it was...it was a camera. Those sneaky bastards, he thought as he shook his head, you should be ashamed. He proceeded to cover the camera up with a book and turn off the light. He wasn't too bothered by the camera at first...but then the more he thought about it, the more it bothered him. He thought about his as he walked over to the mansion for the meeting.

"Where were you?" Lizzie asked, as Gordo sat down.

"I was in our room," he said, tempted to tell Lizzie about the camera, but figured that would have to wait until later.

"Is everybody here now?" Greg asked. Everyone nodded, "Now then, today we have a lot to talk about. We have to talk about today, mainly because there is a competition and a few things that need to happen in order for this show to go on. Now, after lunch, the competition will be held on the main lawn, but instead of you actually competing for the mansion, I want to fix it so that Elizabeth and James win. Not only have both of them complained about the lack of space in the trailer, but also there is also some problem with the toilet. Is that okay with everyone?"

Everyone nodded, "Fine, then. After the competition, I think their needs to be some type of disagreement with Elizabeth and Tory. Like say, Elizabeth said something that offended Tory, like calling her a rich girl that can't appreciate anything. Tory will respond with the argument that at least she's not a bitch and has friends. Whatever it takes to build up some animosity for when the next couple has to leave in two days. Okay?"

Lizzie and Elizabeth nodded their heads. "This ought to be fun," Lizzie thought.

"Good, then! I love it when everybody agrees!" Greg said, "Now, as far as last night, everything went beautifully, especially the kiss between Daniel and Tory. You know, you two should exchange numbers for after we finish taping," he winked and both Lizzie and Gordo blushed. "Anyway, its supposed to rain later this afternoon, so after some interviews, you can have some free and quiet time, then come to dinner, and if after dinner, and weather permits of course, you can hang out outside and split up and go to the hot tub, pool, or hang out in the lawn. If its still raining, you can do your own thing in the game room in the mansion. We'll notify you individually as to what we specifically want you to do. We want to see how you do this afternoon before going on. Other than that, um, you're doing great, keep up the drama, flirting, and everything. We'll see you tomorrow."

Everyone got up and Lizzie and Gordo were walking back to their hut when Lizzie decided to ask, "Gordo, what took you so long? You were almost finished with your shower when I left you, and you had another half an hour after that."

"Lizzie," he whispered, "We really really need to talk."

Lizzie looked around, "Okay...well, why don't we talk in our room."

Gordo shook his head, "No, we can't."

"Why can't we?" Lizzie said, as they approached the front of their hut. Lizzie looked at Gordo as if he were crazy.

Gordo looked around and saw the various people hanging out in the lawn, mainly the cameramen. Gordo grabbed Lizzie's hand and led her away from the hut and away from anyone. When he was sure that the coast was clear, he said, still holding her hand, "Lizzie, when I was back in our room, I found a hidden camera."

"What??" Lizzie asked, "When?"

"This morning. It's on our dresser. Anyway, I don't know if that camera has sound or anything, but if it does, chances are, people already know that we know each other."

"Okay. Is the camera still there?"

"Yeah, but, you see, chances are, there are more cameras around the place and we haven't even bothered looking."

"That's so strange though," Lizzie said.

"I know, but the stranger thing is that no one has asked us anything about the past."

"So? You know these people...they want good television. They don't care if you like me. They probably don't care that we already know each other."

"I know, I know," Gordo said, but it was apparent something else was bothering him, "It's just, and call me crazy, but the more I'm here, the more I feel like I'm out of the loop. I feel like everyone is in on something that we aren't in on. Maybe I'm crazy and I probably am, but don't you think its weird that you and I just happened to be here and we're supposed to be dating each other?"

"Well, yeah..." Lizzie said, "but it really doesn't make any sense. You said your roommate put you up to this and my cousin put me up to this. They don't know each other and they don't have a single connection to each other. Besides, I am sure that I am the last person that Caroline thought of when she thought of me."

"I know, but what about the fact that everyone knew this was scripted except us? We didn't even know what to expect and we still don't really know if there is such thing as the prize or a real winner. Look, Lizzie, all I'm saying is that the more I am here; the more I think I'm going crazy. There may be hidden cameras in all the other places, but I have a feeling something is up. I have a feeling that there are more surprises to come."

Lizzie shrugged, "Maybe. I wouldn't be too surprised."

"Now, let's go back to the room and see if we can find all the other hidden cameras. Call me paranoid, but I don't like the thought of someone watching me get dressed and sleeping."

"Okay," Lizzie said. They realized that they were still holding hands, so they let go and walked back to the hut and started searching for the cameras.

A/N: So ends another chapter. I have a two -part question that will not immediately effect the story, but will in a few chapters.

The question:

Someone (Lizzie or Gordo) is going to somehow find out what is going on. Who is it and what is this person going to do with this knowledge? (Tell the other person, keep it a secret---think about it because both of them could have interesting outcomes.)

Have a nice day.


	23. Chapter Twenty Three

A/N: Just to clarify, the finding out thing isn't going to happen for a while, so they are going to be left in the dark for a little while longer. I was very interested in the varied thoughts and I appreciate every single one of them. I hope I continue this roll I seem to he having, but I have a feeling I might be getting sick. I hope its just allergies or something.

Chapter Twenty-Three

They didn't have time to look very hard for the cameras, as Gracie showed up and asked for Gordo to do some interviews. Gordo waved at Lizzie sort of awkwardly as he left and said, "We'll continue talking about everything as soon as I get back, Tori," he said, pretty sure that since their were Hidden cameras, someone in the production team had to know what was going on, but just in case, he still wanted to be careful with what he said.

Lizzie nodded and watched as he left and waited for the door to close before heaving a big sigh. This was hopeless. She had no idea what to think about anything anymore. She looked around the kitchen for some obvious sign of a hidden camera, but gave up quickly, as she didn't feel like doing this. She definitely didn't know about to think about Gordo and what he said. It was sort of ridiculous and a huge coincidence that they were there together, but she really never thought that it was more than a coincidence. It never crossed her mind that it was something more...she never had a reason to believe something like that. Sure, she felt misinformed about the concept of the whole show, but coincidence? Who would do this to her? Nah, she thought, Gordo's crazy. These people have know clue that we know each other. And the hidden cameras...they were probably there in case the real cameras missed something.

She walked to the bedroom and sighed again. She felt so...perplexed about everything. She'd already discovered so much...like Gordo wasn't the creep she thought he was and that maybe the things that happened to both of them were forgivable. Maybe...maybe, she would find true love with Gordo...again. She didn't know. She thought she'd have years to get over Gordo and years after that to date other guys. She'd really never forgotten about Gordo, though. She was discovering, whether she liked it or not, that she still loved Gordo, after all these years. Her feelings never changed...they were just in denial for a while.

She wanted desperately to call someone so she could share what she was thinking with someone, but she didn't know whom to call. Her cousin wouldn't care...Miranda would make too much of a deal about it when she still wasn't sure how much of a deal this was to her.... her parents didn't need to know anything about the trials and tribulations Lizzie was going through at the moment...and Matt, well, he was just Matt. He was the college going brother who would have even more reasons to think his crazy sister belonged in an asylum. Sure, they got along, but she knew that he felt that she should have a boyfriend at this point.

Lizzie fell onto her bed, as she though about what to do and suddenly, it was as if the past five years of her life flashed in front of her. First, she remembered going off to college and being miserable, especially when she say Gordo two days earlier at the Digital Bean, seeming very cozy with another girl. She thought she hated him and she thought she wanted him to be miserable, but seeing her there with another girl was too much. She remembered the first few months and how miserable she was and how bad she felt for her roommate for putting up with her. She was angry and she wasn't ready to date quite yet. She remembered when she tried to date different people for two years and ending every single change because the guy reminded her too much of Gordo, she didn't see them having a future, and she wasn't interested in something serious. When she constantly reminded herself that the only guy she'd ever slept with was Gordo, she decided to try and pull off the whole one night stand thing, but she never pulled it off. She didn't feel like she was anti-men, or anything, yet she felt the need to stop trying because the act of trying involved thinking and the act of thinking involved reminding her that she hated Gordo, which was the logic of her becoming celibate. When she was going through all of this at the time, she didn't really realize now much Gordo effected her, but looking back, as she did just then, made her realize that If she didn't do anything by the time the taping was over, she might never know what could have been. She might never know what it was like to be truly happy and comfortable with her. This was her second chance, whether she still was up in the air about everything or not, so she finally felt some motivation to say something about this to him. She bit her lip as she thought more about this, and the more she thought about it, the more chicken she became. "Ugh," she said as she buried her head into a pillow, "I don't know what I want to do!" she yelled aloud, releasing some tension.

She heard the door close and turned around to see Gordo standing there and staring at her. "Shit," Lizzie thought to herself as she smiled for Gordo, but was creaming inside.

"Are you okay?" he asked, raising an eyebrow?

"I'm fine," Lizzie said, as she stood up, "In fact I've never been better. How was the interview?"

Still with the same confused face, he said, "It was fine, he looked around, as if he's find answers to his questions around the room, "What did you do?"

"Oh, nothing," Lizzie said, "I just lay down for a while to get some rest before the day gets really intense. What time is it by the way?"

"It's eleven-thirty. We have about fifteen minutes until lunch."

Lizzie nodded, "Great! Awesome!" Could this be any stranger? Lizzie thought to herself. Then she though about what he just said. Wait...was Gordo really gone for forty-five minutes? She didn't feel like he was gone that long...she must have really been in lala land, "Well," Lizzie said, I'm going to wash my face and get ready, then."

"Okay," Gordo said, sitting down on the bed. He waited for the door to be fully closed before he closed his eyes and muttered, "Thank you, God."

The interview was all-good and everything, as he read from the sheet and nothing spectacular happened while he was there for fifteen or twenty minutes. He was glad that everything was running so well, because he thought the more time he could spend with Lizzie, even if it was only a matter of moments, the more they could be together and things might start happening.

As he was leaving the mansion, however, he ran into the one person that had a good chance of ruining his day. He ran into the host, Ryan. He thought he could get away with acknowledging him with a polite nod or something, however, he had no such luck. Ryan stopped him.

"Dan! Compadre! How are you?" Ryan asked, stopping and shaking hands with Gordo.

"I'm fine," Gordo said, "How are you?"

"I'm fine," he said, then continued, "Listen, how's everything with that chick, Tory?"

"It's okay," Gordo asked, but then he got curious. Maybe Ryan had something to say, "Why?"

"Oh, I was just wondering because she seemed a little testy yesterday when I was talking to her. Is she in a better mood today?"

Gordo nodded, "Yeah, she seems to be fine." Internally, Gordo smiled, not because Lizzie seemed moody the day before, but because she didn't seem interested in Ryan. He didn't think she was anymore, but it was always good to hear that maybe someone was on his side this time/

A few minutes later, Lizzie came out refreshed and said, "Ready?"

Gordo stood up and smiled, "Always."

It was silent as they walked to the mansion. Lizzie wondered if the past five years for Gordo were as bad as hers. She hoped she had the rest of her life to find out, but at the same time, she really wanted to know. Gordo, on the other hand, was thinking about whether he should try and talk to her about some of the feelings he had about her. It was almost like Ryan gave him the extra push to do something about the feelings. He was anxious to talk to her about it. But both were silent.

Lunch was uneventful. They had a sandwich and salad buffet set up. Gordo and Lizzie sat together and while they tried to engage in the group conversation, they didn't seem to talk much. They hardly looked at each other while they ate.

After lunch, they met on the lawn for the competition. Ryan explained that the game was called, "I've Fallen and I Can't Get Up!" Ryan explained that the men, Daniel, James, and George, were supposed to pretend that while they were in the wilderness, they'd fallen and were hurt and can't talk. The women had to find, with the help of the guy's hand gestures, five things that the guy needed. The first person with five things would get the mansion.

Since James and Elizabeth were supposed to win, it was almost like there was no pressure. They started and the first thing that they all gestured (it was all on a sheet of paper given to them beforehand) was water. All of the stuff was supposed to be around somewhere. Lizzie jogged to their room to get him some water. The next thing was a band-aid, which took a while for Lizzie to understand, but it didn't really matter. After that, there was a banana, a knife, and a shirt. Because Mary and Lizzie were instructed to go slower than normal, Elizabeth had everything done in half the time. They were required to finish, however, and Lizzie and Mary finished at about the same time. The winners, James and Elizabeth, were announced and since their things were already in the mansion, it was time for interviews and "animosity" time. While a few people had gone off to do their own thing, the cameras followed as Elizabeth walked over to Tory and said, "Hey. How's it going?"

Since they'd been briefed beforehand about how the producers wanted this to work out, Lizzie said, "It's fine. Congratulations on getting the mansion. I'm jealous."

"Yeah?" Elizabeth asked, supposedly surprised, "But didn't you grow up in a house bigger than that growing up?"

"Well, yeah, but believe me, I'd take a mansion any day before I'd take what we're in now."

"Well, I grew up with nine brothers and sisters, so I am very protective of the space that I have."

"Wow. I don't have any brothers and sisters. I'm so glad I never had to share anything."

"Yeah, well," Elizabeth said, starting to show her abilities to act out getting defensive, "Maybe you should try sharing one day."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean," Elizabeth said, "You obviously have very little appreciation for anything and maybe its time for you to get over yourself."

"What?"

"Oh, don't play dumb! You are just a little whiney, rich girl and you have no consideration for anyone."

"Oh yeah?" Tory shot back, "well at least I'm not a bitch and I have friends." With that, Tory stormed off into the hut. Lizzie personally thought that the argument was pretty weak to begin with, but the producers and editors assured her that it would seem more realistic in their version.

About ten minutes after Lizzie was back, it started raining and the rain slowly got a little heavier. Gordo was on the bed taking a nap...or so Lizzie thought. As if there was some strange occurrence, Gordo was thinking about the past five years of his life and how he handled it all.

He first thought of it when he was changing his shirt and saw a college t-shirt with a stain. He then remembered where the stain came from and it brought him back.

It was a Saturday, a game day, his freshman year. Gordo, who wasn't a big sports fan, actually was planning on going to this game. In an attempt to move on with his life after a harsh summer, someone set him up on a blind date. He was at the game and eating some French fries. He was sort of having fun when all the sudden his cell phone rang. He wasn't going to get it, but the girl he was with, Laurie, told him that he should, so he reached for his cell phone in his back pocket as the fries on his lap fell and ketchup landed on the shirt Laurie just bought at the concession stand for him. By the time he got his phone out, it has stopped ringing, but when he went to look up the missed calls, he recognized the new number as the McGuire residence. He never found out who was calling why that person was calling. He made a mental note to ask her about it if there was ever a good time.

Gordo handled college a little differently than Lizzie did. He went to a very studious school and became active in many areas, even though he didn't really know what he wanted to do for a living. He dated some people during his freshman and sophomore year, but it was never really anything serious. He thought he was completely over Lizzie by his junior year, when he met Rachel, a sophomore. They went out until the end of his senior year, when she told him that she wasn't ready for a large commitment. He found out later that she was seeing someone else. When he started his new job, he decided to wait a while to start dating again. It had been over a year since he and Rachel split up when his roommate told him about this show, and he hadn't dated a girl since. Despite this story seeming so average, it really wasn't. Gordo thought about Lizzie a lot and thought about calling her to see how she was doing when he was a sophomore, but never did. He wanted so badly to move on with his life, which was why Rachel was so great. Rachel didn't put up with any of his crap and seemed so real. She was the only other girl Gordo had been with and he also thought that that meant something. He realized just then that he and Rachel would have never worked out. Rachel wasn't good enough for him. No one was good enough for him. No one was as good as Lizzie. No one could even come close to Lizzie.

A/N: I'll try and update as soon as possible.

The next question is: Which couple should leave next?


	24. Chapter Twenty Four

A/N: Another clarification: Laurie was Gordo's blind date when he received the call at the football game and um, right now you don't know what the call is about or anything. Oh, and more interaction is to come. It's just the more you understand about their past, the easier it is to comprehend their thoughts and yes, they do think a lot, but fortunately, they are coming up with some conclusions.

Chapter Twenty-Four

"Gordo," Lizzie said, as she was getting ready for that evening. She placed four shirts on her side of the bed for comparison.

"Yeah?" Gordo, who was in the bathroom getting ready, didn't know what was going on.

"Could you come here for a second?"

"Yeah," he said as he walked into the room a second later shirtless and holding his deoderant, "What?"

Lizzie looked at him helplessly and then pointed at the clothing on the bed, "I can't decide what to wear," she pouted.

Gordo shrugged. He didn't care what she wore. "Which one do you want to wear?"

Lizzie sighed, "Gordo! You know I'm indecisive! Will you please just pick one?"

Gordo rolled his eyes and put his deodorant on the dresser. Then, he shook his head as he looked at Lizzie and then looked over at the tops. There was a white-laced top, a baby blue string top, a black halter top, and a low cut light pink shirt. To Gordo, they were all simply clothes. He really didn't care, but he knew that Lizzie was going to get frustrated if he didn't pick one. "Uh...how about the white one?"

Lizzie held the white top up and looked at it and shrugged, "Okay. Thanks," and then she took it into the bathroom and slammed the door behind her, before Gordo could stop her and tell her he wasn't finished in there. It didn't really matter, though, as she came out thirty seconds later with the new top on and the one she was wearing waded in her hand. Gordo couldn't help but watch as Lizzie reached into her suitcase for some jeans and started to unbutton the pants she was wearing...until she realized she was being watched. Blushing, she asked, "Do you mind? I'd kind of like some privacy here!" and she turned around and waited for the bathroom door to close until she started to smile a little. She then finished getting dressed and was trying to figure out what to do with her hair when Gordo came out.

"Gor-"she started as she looked into the mirror and played with her hair.

"I think you should wear it down," he said, before she could even ask him anything.

"Yeah, but should I curl it?"

Gordo shook his head as he walked up so he was standing behind her and looking at her reflection in the mirror, "I think you should leave it just as it is. It looks perfect."

Lizzie looked at his reflection with her serious eyes and then turned around to look at him as if she expected him to say something. When he didn't say anything she smiled and said, "Thanks. You don't look all that bad yourself," and then she turned back to the mirror to brush her hair and put on some earrings, all the while, Gordo didn't move an inch as he watched Lizzie's every move, wanting to say something that would mean something so badly, but not coming up with the perfect words to say. Lizzie knew what was going on, but didn't really want to say anything to make the situation even more awkward. Besides, dinner was waiting for them.

After she finished, she turned to Gordo, who was inches away from her and she could hear him breathe and said, to Gordo's disappointment, "I think she should go now. I wouldn't want to be late."

Gordo smiled. It was as if she was breaking his heart in half, but he didn't want to do anything about it. She had to know he was feeling something for him. "Okay," he said, "Let's go, then."

Lizzie and Gordo hurried to the mansion, as it was still lightly drizzling. Once there, they sat and ate and talked. Everything was going pretty well until Ryan came in and said he had an announcement. It was strange, mainly because they didn't see any cameras around them at the time he said he had an announcement "After dinner," he said, "we set up a little surprise for you in the game room. Since the weather hasn't been very kind, we thought it would be nice if you all got together and watched a movie and slept in the game room. Beds are set up there and so is a screen and due to some technical difficulties, you will not be filmed. So, sleep wherever you want and with whomever you want and go ahead and say whatever you want. The camera problem should be fixed by tomorrow," he said and then he smiled, "Sweet dreams and good night."

Ryan left and everyone reacted as dessert was brought to them, "Okay," Elizabeth said, taking control of the situation, "well, after dessert, why don't we all get comfortable and ready for bed and meet up in the game room?"

Everyone agreed to this idea and after dessert, they all parted.

Back at the Love Hut, Lizzie and Gordo started talking, "This should be fun," Lizzie said, even though she was a little disappointed that she wouldn't have any time to talk to Gordo alone, "I mean, maybe we will actually get to really know the other people here without having to worry about the cameras or anything."

"I don't know," Gordo said, as he put on his flannel pajama bottoms, "I mean, I'm going to guess that there are really going to be cameras there, only hidden."

Lizzie shook her head, "Gordo, would you please stop freaking out about the hidden cameras?? This is not 1984 here, and Big Brother is definitely not watching us."

"Then how do you explain the hidden cameras in the room?"

Lizzie shrugged, "Maybe this place was used for another reality show and they forgot to get rid of the hidden cameras. I mean, you did cover up the one on the dresser. No one has bothered to explain it to you or asked you to explain it, or moved it himself or herself. Lighten up, okay?"

"Lizzie, All I'm saying is that I have a theory. The producers said it themselves: They are looking for ratings. This means they are looking for sex and they will go to any lengths necessary to find sex."

"Well," Lizzie said, before she could really think about what she was saying, "You and I know we aren't having sex with each other! Why does it matter?"

Gordo looked at Lizzie and said nothing. When Lizzie saw the expression on Gordo's face, she sort of blushed, and then she tried to think of a way to fix what she said, so it didn't sound so harsh, but she couldn't think of anything to say.

"Lizzie," Gordo finally said, "Whether we are having sex or not, its still an invasion of our privacy. They can hear everything we say to each other, and probably are suspicious that we know each other and know that we have different names. Also, we were told that we would be off camera for the most part when we were in our rooms. I don't want to get into an argument about this, and I definitely don't want to come off as anal, but I think something is going on. Like I said before, I could be wrong. I'm not going to worry too much about it right now, because I don't think I have anything else to hide, however, it wouldn't surprise me if this sleepover was mentioned in the final cut. Got it?"

"Yeah, Gordo," Lizzie nodded, "I understand exactly what you are saying. I just think you are being a little to weird about the idea that you found a hidden camera."

"Yeah, well, maybe I am," he said, "but imagine," he said, pausing, looking Lizzie in the eye and stepping one step closer, "Imagine if we were different people and we were falling for each other," he said, and then he took another small step closer to Lizzie, causing Lizzie's heart to beat a little faster, "and we used this time in our rooms to have intimate talks and share private moments that only two people in love with each other should share," he said, and he slowly reached for her hands with his as he stepped even closer and their faces were only inches apart, "Would you feel any differently about the cameras, then?"

Lizzie studied his face as she tried to decide what to do, "I-I don't know," she finally said, "I don't know what I'd do."

He was going to do it. He had her hands in his and he was about to lean in. The time was perfect as they looked into each other's eyes for some sort of answer. "Lizzie," he whispered as he leaned in. Their lips barely grazed each others when they were interrupted by some yelling outside.

"Tory! Daniel!" the outsiders yelled, "Are you two coming or what??"

Lizzie released her hands from his and stepped back, looking at him for a brief moment, with her eyes a little watered. For days, she'd wanted something like this to happen. She wanted Gordo to admit that he had feelings for her and now it was her opportunity to tell him how much he meant to her. Thinking about too many things at once, Lizzie called, "We're coming," she said and she slipped some shoes on. As she walked to the mansion in silence as Gordo walked a few feet behind her, Lizzie kept thinking she could still say something and everything would be okay.

Inside, Gordo was cursing at himself. He thought his timing was perfect and he thought for sure that Lizzie loved him back. She didn't say anything, though, he thought, and now, Gordo didn't know what to do. Once again, he would have a hard time sleeping that night. He still had no idea what Lizzie thought and when they were interrupted, Lizzie looked as if she was about to cry.

When they arrived and saw the set up, it seemed very interesting. There were three sofas and three mattresses on the floor that replaced all the furniture that were there before. Elizabeth was quick to call the middle sofa, urging the other girls to take the other sofas, so it would be like the girls that created the semi circle and the three guys would fill it. No one objected, so Lizzie took the left sofa. Gordo began to walk over to take his claim on the mattress next to her; however, James beat him to the place and Gordo ended up between the two guys. Wanting so desperately to say something to Lizzie, he knew it would have to wait. He had to wait until the morning and he had a whole night to think of excuses as to why he kissed her, in case she wasn't interested.

They watched Casablanca and every time Gordo would try to glance over at Lizzie, she had her back turned toward him. They had four more days until this was all over. If they lost in two days, they only had two. Time was running out for the two of them to do something about their feelings.

Lizzie seemed to be asleep by the time the movie was over and everyone else was tired by then. It didn't seem to take long before everyone else except Gordo seemed to be asleep. Gordo let out a sigh as he got up to go to the bathroom. He ended up staying in the bathroom for a while, taking in the time alone and trying to come up with some solution.

When he finally decided that he was too tired to stay there any longer, he went back to the game room and when he was walking to his mattress, he heard someone whisper his name, "Daniel!"

Gordo looked around, but it was too dark to see anything. The voice came from the other side of the room that Lizzie was on, but who else would be calling him, "Lizzie?" he whispered back, "Is that you?"

"No. It's Mary."

"Oh," Gordo said, as he yawned, "Hey."

"Come here for a second," she said."

"Okay," and he walked over, curious as to what Mary would say.

"Listen, I know it's a little late, but would you like to maybe take a little walk with me? I'm having a little trouble sleeping."

"I don't know," Gordo said, shaking his head and yawning, "I mean, I'm really tired."

"Please? I promise if you walk with me, we will both feel a little better."

Gordo sighed. He DID want to get a few things off his chest. Mary seemed harmless enough, "Okay."

Mary got up and Gordo waited as they tiptoed out of the room and out of the house. Once they were safely outside and knew they couldn't be heard, Mary spoke in her normal voice, "So," she said, "How are you?"

"I've been better."

"Anything you want to talk about?"

Gordo laughed a little to himself, "Where should I start?"

A/N: I will continue as soon as possible.

Question: What will Lizzie do tomorrow?

The best answer wins since there are no options. Thanks for reading.


	25. Chapter Twenty Five

A/N: All of you had really, really good ideas as to what would happen, which makes it really hard for me to decide. Anyway, it's going to be hard for me to decide who to give credit to, so anyone who had ideas as to what would happen the next day, thank you and I hope I didn't disappoint you. If I went in the complete opposite direction, then I apologize, as I really want the place to have two couples before anything huge happens. Also, its been a lot of fun having everyone's input into this story, however, since this story has only a few more chapters and I'm running out of questions to ask without interfering with my plans for the story, I think the questions at the end will stop. If, however, you have a totally cool idea for something to happen and want to talk to me about it, e-mail me at and I'll definitely be willing to discuss things. I look forward to hearing from you personally and thank you for reading. Sorry this took so friggin' long.

Chapter Twenty-Five

"Start anywhere you'd like."

"Why the sudden interest?" Gordo asked.

Mary shrugged, "I have a general interest in people and their feelings. I'm a pre-psych major and I only act to pay the bills and believe me, I love to hear other people's problems. It makes me feel almost normal."

Gordo grinned as he walked toward the grass a little. He liked Mary. Don't get anything wrong, here—he liked Mary in a completely different way than he liked Lizzie, but he felt like he could talk to her and having someone to talk to while the chaos in his head was going on felt refreshing. "Well," he started, sitting on a step, "I guess I've come to realize that I only have a few more days before I go back and I might never see Tory again."

"So you like Tory?"

"Well..." he started. He hadn't said it out loud, so it was really weird telling a completely stranger this, but he said, "Yeah, I really do. Do you like George?"

"Well, not romantically," Mary said, "but I guess I've been living with him for so long that it will be weird coming home to no one."

"Yeah, well, that's only one of the problems I'll have."

"Well, if you win, you know you get to see each other again when all of this has aired for publicity stuff and you never know...It doesn't have to end for you, you know. Maybe Tory feels the same way."

Gordo rolled his eyes, "Well, I don't know about that."

"Have you asked her?"

"Well, no, but..."

"Do you have a girlfriend at home? Are you getting a divorce? Have you been questioning your sexuality lately? Is there some dark secret you aren't saying anything about? Because, I learned the hard way that if you love someone so badly, denying the truth gets you nowhere fast and if you don't know how the other one feels, you'll never know and it's the worst feeling to never know if there was ever a chance. Believe me, Daniel, this trip will be over soon and you can forget this whole experience, but you and Tory obviously have feelings for each other worth doing something about. I see the way you look at her and I see the way she looks at you. Talk to her."

"You don't understand," Gordo said, "It really isn't that easy."

"Why not?" Mary asked. She didn't seem to understand and there was no way to explain everything to Mary without blowing anything.

"Okay, so what if I do tell Tory everything? What if she doesn't feel the same about me?"

Mary shrugged, "That's why they say love is unpredictable. You never know what you are going to get, and even if you are humiliated, at least you will be able to leave here knowing how she feels."

Yeah, that's what he'd been trying to tell himself the whole time. To him, it just seemed like a bad idea, though. He yawned and Mary put her hand on his shoulder, "Daniel, don't loose sleep over this yet. If you want, I can talk to Tory tomorrow."

Gordo tilted his head. "You'd do that?"

Mary shrugged, "Why not? I like Tory and I like you. I think you make a cute couple."

This was tempting...to have another female talk to her for him....but it almost made him feel as if he was taking a shortcut. This was Lizzie. Ten years ago, they knew everything about each other and told each other almost everything. He felt like having someone else talk to her was wrong...also, how would Lizzie feel if she learned that he told someone else how he felt before he told her? He walked toward the door, "No, I'll do it. Right now, I just really want to get some sleep. Yeah," he nodded, "I'll talk to her. Thanks."

He walked back into the mansion and found the room and lie back down on his mattress, sighed, and fell asleep soon afterwards. He still didn't know if he would tell Lizzie everything, but he was convinced that he would have to think of something soon...before it was too late.

What he didn't know was that Lizzie was now wide-awake. She heard Gordo get up and when she got up, she noticed Gordo and Mary weren't there. She was wide-awake when Gordo came back and again when Mary returned a few seconds later. It was sort of suspicious and she was sort of mad because it made her imagine awful things. What was going on?

Lizzie finally fell asleep, determined to think that whatever happened was innocent because Gordo liked her and he wasn't that sleazy, even though she couldn't help but wonder.

The next day, once again, Lizzie was the first to wake up. It was pretty bright outside, so Lizzie could make out everyone, including Gordo, who was sleeping peacefully on the floor. She watched him for a few moments, smiling, as she noted that he looked like a giant baby, all sprawled out on his mattress, clinging on to his pillow. She wondered if this was how he slept at home. He didn't have enough room to sleep like that on their bed. After realizing that perhaps she'd been staring at him for a bit too long, she sat up and looked around. If she were at home, she would be doing something productive right now. She wanted to do something then. She finally got up and went to the bathroom and returned to her sofa. She sighed right after she sat down, a little bored. After she sighed, she noticed James, who was the closest to her, stirring. She thought for a moment that she had wakened him up, but he didn't seem too distracted. Slowly, she started to lie back down figuring since it was only a little before seven, maybe it wouldn't hurt if she tried to go back to sleep.

The next time she woke up, she was the only one in the room. She looked around confused for a minute, and then Elizabeth came in, fully dressed, "Oh, look who is finally awake! It's nearly eleven o'clock. They asked me to come get you because we leave in a half an hour."

"Leave?" Lizzie said, as she sat up, "Where are we going?"

"To the beach."

"The beach?"

Elizabeth nodded, "You missed the production meeting earlier."

"Why didn't anyone wake me up?"

Elizabeth grinned, "Are you kidding? An hour ago, you were snoring like a baby! The producers walked in to wake everyone up and since you didn't budge, well; they decided to let you sleep. Your boo is getting ready. He'll tell you everything from the production meeting and we're meeting in the front lobby."

Lizzie yawned before standing up, "Okay," and she stretched. Obviously, she was tired and needed the extra sleep. She put on her shoes and walked out, heading toward her hut. When she arrived, she could hear the shower going, and she decided since they were going to the beach, she would just worry about a shower later. She took off her pajamas and threw the bathing suit she was wearing the other night and as she was putting on some shorts, she heard the shower stop and Gordo came into the room.

"Hey," she said, yawning.

"Um, hi," he said, "Uh, Lizzie? We're supposed to wear the bathing suits they gave us."

"What?" Lizzie asked, confused.

"They want us to be wearing one piece suits today. They gave us suits earlier at the meeting."

"Ohh," Lizzie said, "The why didn't you say something earlier?"

Gordo gave Lizzie a weird look before shaking it off to go to his side of the bed. He gave her a suit, which was green and she went into the bathroom to change and brush her hair. She then went to the kitchen to grab a granola bar and then went to brush her teeth. When she was in the bedroom, finishing up, she could see Gordo in the corner of her eye and she wondered what he was thinking about.

When everyone met up to go to the beach, they were driven in a van to the local beach area and once there, they were met up with some people. Everyone assumed that surfing would somehow be involved, as this was Hawaii and the typical stereotype of Hawaii is surfing. However, when they reached there, there were no surfboards in sight. Everyone was wondering what was going on, when all the sudden, Ryan appeared.

"Hey, guys!" he said.

It suddenly dawned on Lizzie that Gordo never explained to her what went on in the production meeting. She hoped Gordo remembered that she didn't like to be surprised...

"Okay, so today's game is called 'Kelp Me!' and for the next hour, each couple is going to be assigned with a person that is going to help train you with ocean safety. After that, we are going to randomly pick who is going to 'drown' and who is going to 'be saved.' This is not a race of only time, however, this is a race of accuracy, calmness, and time. The person that needs to be saved is going to be caught in some kelp and what is important to realize is that although this person will actually be perfectly fine, the person is not allowed to help the person saving him or her. So, split up and pay attention."

For the next hour, someone worked each couple to teach them a little bit about water safety. They practiced pulling dummies out of the water and taught them how to handle someone in this situation and other things. Lizzie was a little nervous that mouth to mouth necessitation would be necessary, but the guy with them explained that although in real life situations, that would be necessary, that they didn't have enough time to go through that and since the other person would be okay, it wasn't necessary.

So time was up. Everyone got together once again and Ryan announced that the men were the ones that needed to be rescued. This meant that Gordo could not help her in anyway as she had to "save him."

The men were taken to the ocean and positioned so they were floating on their stomach. Then when everything was set, the whistle blew. Lizzie, Elizabeth, and Mary ran into the ocean, swam to their partner and did as they were instructed to do, like releasing the kelp. All of them struggled to drag the men into safety, as the men were heavier, but they finally managed to get the guys out at about the same time. Once the guys were out of the ocean and dragged away from the water, they had to do a few things, like ask questions to their partner.

Then it was over. It was up to the instructors to decide who won. The winner this time would receive a long weekend in Miami. The instructors decided ultimately that Elizabeth and James won, followed by Tory and Daniel, and then Mary and George came in last place, only because they were disqualified because the judges thought that he helped her a little bit in the water.

Anyway, it wasn't that big of a deal. Everyone was starving, though. They went up to a picnic area and ate some sandwiches. Lizzie and Gordo still hadn't really talked all that much since the day before, and there was no sign that they were about to start talking. Lizzie sat with Elizabeth and Mary at their own table and the guys ate at the other table. She felt like she should probably say something but didn't know what to say.

After lunch, they were given some time at the beach before heading back to where they were staying. It was a private place and no one was around so they could do whatever they wanted to. Elizabeth wanted to lie out in the sun while George wanted to do a little running, which left Mary, Lizzie, Gordo, and James to fend for themselves. However, five minutes later, James became sort of bored with the silence and indecisiveness of what they were going to do, so he joined Elizabeth. Soon after that, Mary made up some excuse that she collected shells and wanted to go find some shells. Nice. It was as if it was planned. Lizzie and Gordo were alone at last and this was a chance for them to talk...if only there wasn't a camera in front of them recording everything they were saying or doing.

Silence lingered between them, as they couldn't say anything they wanted to say. They also didn't really want to say something because they wanted more time to think. Lizzie, however, decided to end the silence by saying something, "I haven't been to the beach in a really long time."

Gordo, startled a little that Lizzie was saying something, even if it wasn't ideal, decided that any conversation was better than none at all, "Neither have I. I haven't been to the beach since I moved after high school."

"Wow. That's a really long time. I live, like, less than an hour from the beach...in New York, so the fact that I haven't been since last August is a long time for me."

Gordo shrugged, not knowing what to make of this conversation, yet he had a feeling she was trying to amuse the cameras, "You forget how beautiful the Pacific Ocean is when you haven't seen it in so long."

"You really do. In fact, when I was really little and we went to the beach as a family, I always wished we would have a dog just so I could take it to the beach and play with it. Of course, Dad would always say no, but I'd always imagine being surprised one day by a dog showing up in our picnic basket or something."

Gordo laughed. He vaguely remembered her telling this story to him a long time ago, "What kind of dog did you want?"

Lizzie straighten herself up and proudly proclaimed, "A Doberman." Gordo laughed and so did Lizzie. "What??" she asked, "there are baskets big enough to hold a Doberman! My parents just never bought one."

Gordo laughed. He'd forgotten all of those stories Lizzie used to tell. Lizzie really was an interesting person. First, she really wanted a dog, and then there was one year she went to camp and came back wanting a snake for about a month, or until she realized that she would have to feed it mice, and then she decided she'd settle for anything that wasn't Matt.

They ended up having a pretty good time sitting there on the sand talking, even though it was hard for them to pretend like they barely knew each other. When it was time to go, they weren't ready because they were having too much time laughing. Gordo and Lizzie knew that once they got back to the hut, there was a not a good chance that things would be quite the same. Sure, they sort of acted in front of the cameras, but there was some truth.

By the time they got back to the mansion, it was late in the afternoon. While Lizzie sort of still wanted to talk to Gordo, seeing if anything would come up, she felt really dirty, so she took a shower. Gordo started to wait for her, as the beach trip had given him some sort of hope that they did have a positive future.

As Lizzie took her shower, she started to feel really guilty. Once again, she was reminded about what a special relationship she had with Gordo when they were a couple and how much she missed that. She desperately wanted to talk to him...but she was still scared. She still felt torn...but she did feel like something was going to happen in the last three days and if it took her three days to muster up some sort of courage, it would happen and whether they lived happily ever after would be up to someone else to decide.

After she got out of the shower and out of the bathroom, Gordo left the room to give her some privacy, as she got dressed for the evening. Lizzie still wondered what was decided in the production meeting that day, but figured that nothing big was going to happen, as Gordo didn't say anything.

When she was finished, she remembered that they were encouraged to do some interviews as soon as possible before the evening, and since Gordo told her that he was going to do that as she was getting dressed, she decided she might as well get an interview over with as well.

She headed over the mansion, to the interview area and waited. She could vaguely hear Gordo talking, even though she couldn't hear what he was saying. She leaned against the wall, waiting her turn, sort of trying to eavesdrop onto what he was saying, even if it was scripted. He said he really liked Tory...he said he felt lucky to have found her...he was falling in love...she was so cute at the beach...she can be my lifeguard any day. He was saying a lot of clichés, basically.

When she heard him finishing up, she decided she wanted to go to the bathroom before she was interviewed. The bathroom was across the hall from the interview room. When Lizzie was finishing up, she heard the door open from across the hall, as Gordo was talking to the cameraman, and she heard him bump into someone. "Oh, sorry," he said.

Lizzie was about to leave the bathroom...until she realized who he bumped into, "It's okay." It was Mary's voice!! She knew it was wrong, but she was curious, "Have you talked to her yet about your feelings?" she asked in a whispered murmur. Lizzie heard this and gasped. He's talked to someone about how he was feeling? She put her ear closer to the door to listen a little better.

"Not yet. We haven't really had a good chance with all these cameras around. It'll be kind of hard tonight, also, because of that stuff we're supposed to do tonight. I haven't even told her about that yet."

"You haven't? Gee, Danny, don't you think you need to give her some type of warning?"

"Yeah, well...I don't know. I mean, things are already fairly awkward as it is. I just hope that our ex-girlfriends are actresses because I really don't want to see anyone I dated in college."

Lizzie's mouth dropped. They were bringing in ex-girlfriends that night? But she was so close to telling him how she felt! They could be leaving tomorrow and she might never talk to him again....all because of a stupid ex-girlfriend. She thought she was about to cry when she heard...

"Yeah, well do you really want to meet one of her ex-boyfriends? If they don't get actors, this is going to be really strange."

Lizzie thought she was going to die. They were bringing in ex-girlfriends and boyfriends now?? Who were they bringing in? Were they bringing in Tory's ex-boyfriend or hers?

Well, one thing was certain...neither of them could possibly prepare to what was going to happen that evening.

878

A/N: Thank you so much for the patience and I will try to update as soon as possible. Until then...drop me a line.


	26. Chapter Twenty Six

A/N: I'm glad to hear that you liked the last chapter...because frankly it wasn't my favorite chapter...and I like to think that every new chapter is my favorite chapter. That's just how the queen works and operates. Quack.

Also, recently (as in, minutes ago) it was brought to my attention by my television that there is such a show called Second Chance on TLC. Just so you know, however, this is not a copy of that show. I didn't even know that show existed until today. Apologies.

Chapter Twenty-Six

Meanwhile back at home...

Miranda was pacing back and forth in her living room, contemplating and berating herself. Did she make the right choices? Days before Gordo and Lizzie went to Hawaii, she had to start thinking of names, but couldn't come up with contact information with any of their past significant others. She didn't keep in touch with Gordo enough to know any of his old girlfriends and Lizzie, well, Lizzie didn't really have any ex-boyfriends. Miranda had to think quickly and she'd just come up with her final choices, mostly because she was desperate, days ago. Now, she knew they were probably there. Now, she knew they were getting ready to find out. She prayed that this would work out. She prayed Lizzie and Gordo wouldn't kill her by the time they found out.

She had no idea what she was getting herself into when she made her final decision.

But at the Mansion ...

Lizzie got through her interview after Gordo left, but could hardly concentrate. She was nervous about that night...mostly because she didn't know what to expect. She was beginning to hate surprises even more than she did before. After the interview, she went to the game room place they all slept the night before. She knew that they were allowed to use it whenever there was free time; she just never took advantage of it. No one really did. She sat down on one of the sofas, thinking about what could happen that night. She had no idea who they were really bringing in, and wasn't really worried about her own ex, but what about Gordo's? She knew nothing about how he was in college, and since college was more recent than high school, he could fall in love with her all over again. Okay, so maybe to somebody else, her thoughts proved she was nothing short of crazy and over thinking this a bit, but it made since to her. She was imagining the worse...she hated all the guys she dated in college and she was sure she was going to not like whomever they brought in as Gordo's ex-girlfriend. There was no way, unless they chose actors, that this was a good thing.

That's why she couldn't go back to the Love Hut. She knew Gordo would be there. She thought she was ready to talk to him before she overheard him, but now she wasn't sure. She didn't want to say something now and have tonight be a disaster and have to fend for herself tomorrow. She prayed that whatever happened, she didn't have to leave tomorrow. She hoped that whatever happened that night would be something she could live through forever knowing she did the right thing.

Meanwhile, Gordo was at the Love Hut, sort of worried as to where Lizzie was at that time. He wanted to spend as much time with her as possible just in case they had to go home the next day or something. He was less than looking forward to that night, especially if it meant dealing with people in his past. He thought there was a good chance that the ex-boyfriend for Lizzie would in actuality be Tory's ex, but he knew that if Pete had anything to do with finding his ex, he would have picked someone from college, like Rachel. He worried that tonight would be a disaster for the exact opposite reasons Lizzie worried. He was worried that these people would all but make things easier on him and Lizzie.

The hour they had between now and the time they all had to meet in the mansion went by extremely slowly. Lizzie could have sworn she heard voices nearby in the mansion, but didn't want to look because she was afraid that she wouldn't like what she saw. She was nervous as she sat there, unable to particularly concentrate. She thought about going back to the hut, just to see what Gordo had to say about anything, but she didn't feel like moving. Her heart pounded as she watched the clock.

The time had come. It was six o'clock, and everyone was told to meet in front of the mansion. When she arrived, she noticed three limousines out there. Elizabeth and James were out there waiting, sitting on the steps. Not wanting to seem as antisocial as she had felt lately, she decided to join them there. "Hey," she said, sitting down next to Elizabeth.

"Hey!" they both said, looking over at her, "Are you nervous?" Elizabeth asked.

Lizzie sighed. What was she supposed to say? "I guess so. I have no idea what to expect."

"Yeah, neither do I," Elizabeth said, "As I was telling James, I had some wild days and I had some innocent days. I don't know which days I would rather see at this point!"

Lizzie laughed, not knowing how else to react. "I don't know, though," Lizzie said, in a sort of whisper, as the cameras were around, "do you think they are actually going to have real people from our past?"

"You'd be surprised on how authentic everything, is, Tor. I mean, we might not be 'real,' but this show has never seized to surprise me. Who knows who they found?"

Then, Gordo, Mary, and George arrived, and everyone stood up, knowing that something was going to happen soon. A few moments later, the host, Ryan came from the side and said, "Good evening."

"Good evening," everyone said back.

"Many of you might be wondering what these limousines are here for tonight. Well, ladies and gentlemen, we thought you might enjoy some company this evening, just to make things interesting. In each of these limos contains two very important people. Here's the catch, though. These people are your exes. That's right," he smirked, "we searched all around the country to track your exes and bring them here tonight. Are we ready to see who is in the first limo?"

Lizzie gulped. The windows were tinted, so she had so way of knowing who was in what limo. They opened the first limo, though, and she didn't recognize either of the people. She breathed a sigh of relief. Those people were for Mary and George.

The first limo drove away and the second limo pulled up. The door was opened and she didn't recognize either of those people. They were for Elizabeth and James, and it seemed as if knew who was in the limo, as she ran up to hug the muscular male with the long blonde hair. Lizzie sighed. The second limo drove away and the third one pulled up. Lizzie could feel the cameras directed to her and she had a feeling this would be big. The door opened, and it seemed like forever passed before Ryan announced, "May I present to you, Daniel, Parker McKenzie." Parker McKenzie? Lizzie repeated in her head. They wouldn't dare...but they did. Parker stepped out of the limo, Lizzie looked briefly at Gordo, who looked as stunned as Lizzie did, but forced a smile as Parker went to shake her hand. "I'm Parker," she said to Lizzie, shaking her hand.

"I'm...Tory."

Parker moved on to Gordo who was standing right next to her and gave him a hug, "It's so good to see you after all these years!"

Ryan cleared his throat, "And, May I present the last person of this evening. Tory, do you remember Ethan Craft?"

Lizzie gasped and so did Gordo. These people were the last two people they expected, mostly because Lizzie never dated Ethan and Gordo never dated Parker. Ethan stepped out of the limo, and Gordo automatically became jealous. He'd always hoped that Ethan would bald by the time he was out of college and be at least fifty pounds overweight. No such luck. He didn't really change over the past five years, except he looked a little taller and muscular. Gordo didn't know what to think. He thought Lizzie told him that they never dated, but he couldn't help wonder if they really did date, because when he walked over to greet them, Lizzie didn't exactly look disappointed to see him.

So there they had it. They had Parker, who didn't really change physically except for maybe a different color of hair, and they had Ethan, who also didn't change that much. These two people ruined Lizzie and Gordo's high school romance years ago. What could they do now?

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A/N: I know this isn't much of a chapter, but I decided that this chapter needed to be separate for the ideas I had for the next chapter...so I'll update as soon as possible. If you REALLY REALLY want to be spoiled with my plans for this story thus far, include your e-mail address in the review because I really don't want to spoil it for everyone. Until next chapter....quack.


	27. Chapter Twenty Seven

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Lizzie and Gordo wondered what was going on with this evening. Lizzie thought about it during dinner, when they were sitting there chatting, and it dawned on her that Miranda had to have been involved somehow. She hadn't made perfect sense of the situation yet, but bringing people like Ethan and Parker meant that someone that knew them well enough to go that far into the past. She couldn't say that she was disappointed to see Ethan, though, as it had been years since she saw him and she'd often wondered how he coped during college. To see Parker and Ethan at the same time, however, was like some weird blast from the past that she was just about ready to get over. Maybe this was a chance to straighten things out. Miranda was the only person who knew something about these cases, so she had to have had some involvement. That also meant that Miranda knew that Lizzie and Gordo were both there. Weird...

This bothered Gordo more than he expected. He never really cared all that much for Parker, and he didn't exactly end on good terms with Ethan. He had no idea what the producers wanted to do with all of them, but wondered if reuniting everyone was a great idea. He said very little during the conversation, and surprisingly, as much as he thought about it, it never crossed his mind that there could be more going on here than a coincidence. He was too busy thinking about how much this situation sucked to be too logical. Of course, he hadn't talked to Miranda in years, so to make the connection wouldn't have been as obvious as it was to Lizzie. Also, in the back of his mind, he wasn't fully convinced that Lizzie and Ethan never did have something after he left, if not before. He was a little pissed and this was admittedly ruining his evening.

The cameras prevented them to talk too much about the past, although they were able to catch up on what everyone had been doing lately. It was set up so Lizzie and Gordo were sitting across from each other and Ethan and Parker were set up across from each other at a table set for four. Parker wound up arguably being the most successful, as she worked for her father's company, and would take over once her father retired, which was going to be soon. Ethan was in his fifth and final year of college and was working on a degree for communications. They talked a little, but since they had to pretend that they didn't know each other and they knew Lizzie and Gordo as Tory and Daniel, it was almost easier to not talk at all and let Lizzie and Gordo talk, or, just Lizzie.

For dinner, they were served grilled salmon with a side of vegetables and for dessert; there was a chocolate cake. After dinner, they were lead to the lawn where they were explained how the remainder of the evening would go. Ryan explained what was about to go down, "Ladies and gentlemen, now that you have all met, we have set up a lovely challenge for you. Now, for those of you who have been here for the past week or so, know that we love to give you scavenger hunts and to send you out places. We do this so you can spend more time together. However, this time, it's different. Instead of having three teams with only one team winning, we are having six teams, and three teams have the opportunity to win. James, Daniel, and George? Take a nice look at her ex-boyfriend. This is your teammate. Elizabeth, Tory, and Mary? His ex-girlfriend is your new teammate for the evening. Don't panic, yet, though, because tomorrow morning, your ex-significant other will be your partner."

Lizzie glanced at Parker and then looked at Gordo, wondering what was going on in his head. While Lizzie wasn't thrilled that she would be working with Parker, but had a feeling that Gordo was a little less excited to be working with Ethan. She couldn't explain why she wasn't really worried about this, really, but she was kind of glad to look at Gordo and see that he was not happy about this at all. It was another reason she liked him.

"Anyway, tonight, after I hand you flashlights, you will go to the tree behind the trailer and read your first question. Eventually, these questions will lead you to a surprise. Good luck and I will see you at the finish line."

Within a few minutes they were off and once they were safely separated from everyone else, it was their chance to talk. The first question for Lizzie and Parker was "What's the name of the school where Daniel went to high school?" The multiple choices were what could lead them to the next question. This was pretty easy, though, as they both went to high school with him.

"Listen," Parker started tapping her mike so it would be hard for the camera to pick up as they headed off into the wood area, "First of all, I think its weird how you and him just happened to be here together, but the fact that you are, I just have to say something. Gordo and I...we never went out. When the guy called me and asked if I would be here on his behalf, I didn't know what to say. The only ex-girlfriend he ever had to my knowledge was you. I only agreed because I was going to Hawaii in a few days on business anyway."

Lizzie sighed, "I know."

Parker seemed surprised, "Y-you do? Did he tell you or something?"

Lizzie shrugged, "Sort of. I mean, everything happened so long ago, that I think the main issue was that Ethan and me, and you were a convenient argument."

Parker sighed, "Well, that's a relief. I was so surprised when I saw Ethan earlier. He explained to me what happened, and Lizzie, I must say, you are a great friend. If I knew what was going on, I would have convinced Gordo to trust you. I feel guilty for letting everything happen the way it did."

"Well, thank you for saying something, but it's not your fault. I think we needed a break from each other to realize how we felt about each other."

Parker nodded, "Okay," she said, "so, what do you think of him?"

Lizzie smiled, but it was too dark for Parker to notice this, "He's nice. It's nice seeing him again. I was surprised when I noticed it was him."

"Yeah, I had no idea you two actually knew each other before I saw Ethan. This is crazy."

Lizzie wondered if Parker was telling the truth. She didn't want to challenge Parker, but she was suspicious that something was up. "Yeah, I know."

They reached the next clue and they talked a little more, overall, making the best of this situation and having some friendly conversation with each other. When they were getting ready to finish, Parker even said, "You know, Liz, I didn't know what to expect before I came here, mostly because I imagine that when you and he broke up it was pretty nasty and I was sort of in the middle, but I do hope that things work out for you and I am glad that I came."

Lizzie was about to graciously accept what she said when she stopped in her tracks. They were nearly twenty yards from the finish line.

Parker looked back at her, "You coming, Tory?"

"Um, yeah," Lizzie said, smiling a little, "I'm coming." Parker had just confirmed Lizzie's suspicions. Something else WAS going on here and someone else WAS involved with this all. Lizzie generally hated surprises, but she liked hearing this, for it proved that she wasn't going insane, after all. She carried the life-size cut out of Gordo across the finish line happier than she had been in a while.

While Lizzie and Parker were separated, Ethan and Gordo barely even talked. Ethan tried to say stuff, but it seemed as if Gordo didn't really want to hear it. He decided right after dinner that he still couldn't stand Ethan. This was how it was until about halfway through the search, where Ethan finally stopped in his tracks, turned to Gordo and said, "Yo, man, if there is something you need to say to me, say it now because L...Tory is a really good friend of mine and if this is how you act all the time, she deserves better. I know you, man, and I always though of you as a great guy, but it seems like you have some unresolved issues man, and you need to let them out."

Gordo rolled his eyes, even if Ethan was right. He was mad at the past.

Once Ethan realized that Gordo was not willing to talk about the past, he spoke up again, "All right, I'll talk. I hope I hit on the right stuff, and stop me if you feel the need to say something."

Gordo crossed his arms and looked directly at Ethan, "Listen, I don't think there is much you can say at this point. You and Lizzie have a past and call me immature, but I've never and will never be comfortable with your past. I thought I could before you came, but you being here reminds me how I felt a long time ago."

Gordo squinted, "Dude, you need a reality check. Lizzie and I are friends. We've never been anything more than friends. She was there for me when I needed a friend the most and I'll always be her friend for that. I always liked you too, though, man. Before all that shit happened, I thought you and I had a special friendship and that you would understand."

"Yeah, but Lizzie was my girlfriend. She didn't dance with me once during prom and what about that party? She liked you more than she liked me. I saw her tonight. She was thrilled to see you. How do you think that made me feel?"

After a minute of silence, Ethan spoke again, "Lizzie never told you, did she?"

Gordo glared at Ethan, "Told me what?"

Ethan nodded, "Well how about that. I made her promise not to tell anyone, and she kept her promise."

"What are you talking about?"

"Gordo, Lizzie is possibly the best friend I will ever have because of all the things she did for me."

"How's that supposed to make me feel better?"

"She was there for me when my father was sick weeks before school ended and she was there for me when my father died and for that I will never forget her."

Gordo froze. How could he have forgotten that Lizzie had told him this days before? Damn. He couldn't say anything to make this better. It was as if he knew this before he came, but as soon as he came, all these old feelings of resentment came back and it was as if this was five years ago. "I'm sorry, Ethan," he said his head looking down, "I'm sorry for your loss, I'm sorry for what happened, and I'm sorry for the way I behaved tonight. I guess I'm so used to hating you that I've forgotten what it's like to have you as a friend...I promised myself earlier that the next time I saw you I would try and start over, but I guess seeing you brought the worst in me because of all this stress."

Ethan nodded, "It's understandable. I know I'd be really jealous of you if this was switched and I was with Lizzie and you were the ex-boyfriend. Now, are we finished or do we need to talk about anything else?"

No, we're finished. Well, you and Lizzie never...kissed... did you?"

"Oh, lots of times," he said, and he looked at Gordo and smiled, "on the cheek, of course."

Gordo laughed. He felt like a jerk. This time with Ethan proved to be quite a learning experience, though, as he realized that maybe having him here wouldn't be such a bad thing after all.

They went on to find the life-size cutout of Lizzie and lost the race, but at least Gordo was sure that there was more to the war.

When they were back together, Gordo greeted Parker and Lizzie with a hug and kissed Lizzie on the cheek. She then looked over at Ethan who winked at her. She winked back and smiled, knowing that things were cleared up and discoveries were made. Lizzie didn't know everything, but she had time to learn more...she ultimately decided that this would be her little secret until the end...

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A/N: Two chapters in one day? What was Queen Duckie thinking? Oh well, if for some reason you have questions or comments, leave a review and my subjects will read them and get back to you if necessary. Queen Duckie will update as soon as possible. Quack

By the way, if you are wondering how Gordo could have forgotten such a vital detail, like the death of Ethan's father, the Queen felt like Gordo had a lot of anger and frustration recently, (cuz he ain't getting' no duck lovin) and since he didn't really know who to point the anger towards, when he saw Ethan, it was an easy outlet because it worked so well before when he thought he hated Ethan.

Also, obviously, Lizzie now knows something is up and I know that was not the popular opinion of my loyal and faithful kingdom, but in the interest of the story and considering people's opinions, I felt it was easier for Gordo to work his frustrations out in the future along with his suspicions and for Lizzie to accept it as a truth and hope it works to her benefit. This wasn't the plan all along, but when I heard it mentioned a few times, it worked. I had my subjects analyze the outcome possibilities, and this seemed to make more sense.

Ducks are humans, too!

P.S. If after reading this note, you are concerned about this author's well being, fear no more! She lives in her own little world most times and likes it there. Don't bother her and she won't bite.

Be kind to your web-footed friends!


	28. Chapter Twenty Eight

A/N: I've been working on this story for over a year now and it's weird. It's almost like I started this story just the other day or something. Anyway, I hope ya'll had a good Halloween and I'm not sure when the next update will be because I'm going out of town until Tuesday and then leaving again on Friday and not coming back until next Sunday. These chapters are getting harder and harder to write these days. I've been working on this chapter since the day I posted the last chapter.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

The visitors slept in the other rooms in the mansion, and since everyone ended up staying up pretty late, they went to bed before Lizzie and Gordo had a chance to talk. This didn't worry Lizzie, as she figured since there was something going on, she would not be leaving tomorrow, but she knew the more time that passed meant that more time was spent doing pointless thinking.

Gordo wasn't too worried about leaving the next day, but still wanted to talk. He enjoyed talking to Ethan and Parker. It was nice seeing old faces...something he hadn't ever seen.

The next morning, Lizzie woke up first and decided instead of going back to sleep, as she might miss something, she decided to go ahead and take a shower and fix breakfast. She wanted more time to think about what she learned the day before and piece it together. She also wondered if Gordo knew anything more than he was letting on. She knew he was suspicious a couple of days earlier, but he didn't talk about it anymore. He might know something, Lizzie thought. After she took her shower, got dressed, and fixed some cereal and fruit, she thought about the possibilities of the day. It was weird, but it was like ever since yesterday occurred, Lizzie had an entirely different outlook on this situation. It was like knowing that Miranda knew about this made it easier. Knowing that Miranda had something to do with this all happening like it did made it even better. She didn't know how her cousin got involved, but it was weird. All of this was planned for her and Gordo. Everyone was in on the secret except for them. She didn't know how she didn't see it in the first place, because it would take more than a coincidence to have her and Gordo in the same place, but at the time, she never thought it was more. She bought into the coincidence as much as she thought Gordo did.

Right as she was finishing breakfast, she heard Gordo get up in the next room. "Lizzie?" he called, in a tired and mumbling sort of way.

Lizzie froze. She had no idea what she was going to say to Gordo. They hadn't really talked since the day before yesterday, yet they had time to kill before the day started.

"Lizzie?" He called again, "Liz, are you up?"

"Yeah," she called back, putting her spoon in her bowl and getting up to the sink, "I'm in the kitchen."

"Oh," he said, and seconds later he entered, scratching his stomach and yawning, "What's for breakfast?"

Lizzie smiled as she cleaned her bowl. She was beginning to feel like she had lived with Gordo all her life, "Whatever you make."

"Oh," he said, walking over to the refrigerator and opening it up.

"Did you sleep well last night?"

"Yes," he said, still trying get used to this state...of being awake, that is. "It was kind of cool seeing Ethan and Parker last night. Did you have fun with Parker?"

"I had a lot of fun," Lizzie said, "Parker is an interesting person."

Gordo nodded, "Yeah, so is Ethan. I forgot how much I liked him."

Lizzie looked at Gordo suspiciously, "When did you ever really like Ethan?"

Gordo thought about this for a minute, "When you started dating me, I guess."

"Hmm," Lizzie said, "Interesting."

"So, what did you and Parker talk about?"

"Well, mostly you, but not really."

"What?" Gordo asked, confused at what Lizzie just said.

"Well," Lizzie started, "First of all, she insisted that you and her never went out, but you told me that, so that wasn't an issue. Once she realized that wasn't an issue, we caught up a little more about our lives. Like I said, Parker is an interesting person. She likes to talk about herself a lot."

"Ha! Tell me about it! When we hung out in high school, all we talked about was her. It was kind of funny, in a way, but at the same time, I kind of felt sorry for her."

Lizzie smiled sympathetically, "So, what did you and Ethan talk about?"

"You, but not really," Gordo smirked.

Lizzie rolled her eyes, "Oh, fine. If that's the way you want to be, you can be annoying."

How was he supposed to describe what he and Ethan talked about the night before? For him, it was humiliating! He didn't want to make it sound as if he was still jealous. "Well, we didn't have much to say at first, but once we started talking, it was pretty cool. I was so used to being mad at Ethan that it was hard to adjust to being nice to him. He really is a good guy, though, and I do wish him the best."

"So do I. What happened with his father was very unfortunate, but I think it changed him. He's a good guy. If he wasn't, I wouldn't be friends with him."

"Well," he said, trying to say something that would mean something and bring some sort of closure to the matter, "from what he said, it sounds like you were a great friend to him. The world really does need more people like you. You really have a great heart, Lizzie."

Lizzie smiled. She was touched. She had to fight hard to keep from crying.

Before things could get any more emotional, there was a knock at the door. Lizzie and Gordo looked at each other, and Gordo went to the bedroom to get ready for the day while Lizzie went to answer the door. On the other side were Ethan and Parker. "Come in," she told them, and they came into the Love Hut.

"Wow," Parker said, "This is really small!"

"I know. I've gotten used to it, though...for the most part."

"Is Gordo awake?"

Just then, they could hear the shower turn on, to answer Parker's question. "Sit down," Lizzie offered, "Have you had any breakfast?"

"Yeah, there was breakfast in the mansion," Ethan said.

"Yeah, we kept waiting for you two to show up, but I guess having every meal together isn't required here," Parker added.

"Well, would you like some coffee?"

"No thanks," Parker said, "I don't drink caffeine."

"No, thank you," Ethan said.

Lizzie sat down with her old friends. They chatted for a few minutes until Gordo appeared, dressed and ready for the day. He smiled at Ethan and Gordo and joined them at the kitchen table.

"Do you guys know what we are doing today?" Lizzie asked, directing the question towards Ethan and Parker.

Both shrugged, "They didn't tell us anything, really, except that Lizzie and I will be working together and Parker and Gordo are working with each other. Apparently, one couple is being eliminated today," Ethan said.

"I know," Lizzie said.

"Are you worried that it's going to be you two?" he asked.

Lizzie shrugged. She knew that they weren't going home, but didn't want to give anything away, "Anything could happen."

"Yeah, you can never really tell around here," Gordo added, "I mean last time, it was weird because we didn't know what was going to happen and all the sudden they were gone and this time, I just can't tell. Who knows?"

Gordo wasn't too worried, either, mostly because he didn't care what happened. If they left, he would be forced to talk to her and that was good and if they didn't leave, he'd have more time here with her. It made sense to him either way. He had her contact information and he decided if he didn't talk to her here, he could be romantic and somehow show up at her doorstep or something. He didn't want it to happen this way, but he was preparing just in case they sprung something else on them.

"I'll tell you one thing," Parker said, "I've met everyone here and even if I didn't know you, I'd still want you to win. Even if these personalities were real, you two are the only ones who have potential chemistry."

Lizzie and Gordo both blushed slightly, glancing at each other.

"I agree," Ethan chimed in, "I mean, everyone seems cool, but during breakfast when we were down there with Elizabeth and that James guy, I was thinking...whoa...this is your competition? If you leave today, this show is hopeless."

"Thanks," Lizzie said, "I guess I'll take that as a compliment."

A few minutes later, they decided it was time to head off to the meeting area and check out what they were supposed to do for the day. The room where they usually met that usually seemed like it was too big suddenly seemed too small as for every person that was in there, there was another person, and also the producers were crammed in there as well as the camera people. They saw people that they'd never seen before and it was weird, because they never realized this much work was involved in a fake reality TV show.

Greg, Gracie, and Ted, who Lizzie decided as they walked in that they were sneaky little bastard, presented what was going to "go down" in the Little Land of Confusion, or better known as this reality show.

"Today is a big day," Greg announced, "For those of you who have never been in here, I have bad news for you. This reality show is, how you say, slightly influenced, by what we say. Some of these people are actresses and actors while others needed the money. This is basically a test season, to see how the ratings go. For example, remember the first season of The Bachelor and how big it was? Well, it wasn't as influenced as this, but sources have evidence that some things wouldn't have happened if it were totally up to that Alex guy, if you know what I mean. Anyway, these people have gotten used to it and since you signed that secrecy contract, you are not permitted to say anything about this meeting or make any implications."

"Anyway, now that that's said, let's talk about today's agenda, because today's goal is to induce drama upon some people in the house...and even if drama has sort of been building up to this point, we really want it to explode today. So, we actually want to have some tension before the competition because now you know that people are leaving and naturally, no one wants to leave. So, before the competition, which will happen at some point after lunch, I think Elizabeth should sort of bitch her way into Tory and Mary's minds and get on their nerves and talk about the third person behind their back. Elizabeth, this is where you need to really get in there and be a bitch. You've been flirting around with your character for a few days, but this has to be when people watching realize "wow, she was sort of annoying before, but now...she's a first class bitch. "Got it?"

Elizabeth nodded.

"Good," Greg continued, "so, basically, this is going to be the ultimate day for the girls. The guys will vaguely be aware with what is happening and talk about it amongst themselves, and the guests will sort of talk about it with the guys and be observers, but some people will clearly appear upset by the time the competition starts. Guys, especially Daniel, who is going to be the ultimate lovesick puppy, stick up for Tory and be on Tory's side. George, you can, say, remain a pretty neutral character, and James, you are just a little torn because you know how Elizabeth can get and you sort of understand her. Anyway, this will happen during lunch and then afterwards, you will learn your new competition, and whoever loses, is going to go home. You control that, but the main idea of the day is after whoever has to go leaves, the other two couples realize that the game is officially on. More details will follow is necessary. You have about three hours before lunch. Have a wonderful day and I hope to see you tomorrow."

Everyone got out and when Ethan and Lizzie, who ended up sitting next to each other in the meeting, were out of the room, Ethan asked Lizzie if he could see her for a minute alone.

Lizzie, a little thrown off by the request, simply because it never dawned on her to speak to Ethan alone nodded and found Gordo. She told him what she was doing and that she'd meet him back in the hut whenever they were finished. Gordo agreed and asked Parker if she wanted to walk around outside for a minute...just for the heck of it.

They parted and Ethan asked Lizzie where they could go where no one could bother them. Lizzie suggested the game room and led him there. They sat down on the couch and Lizzie sighed, smiling at her old friend, "So..." she said, "having fun yet?"

"Oh, you know it," Ethan said, with a slight hint of sarcasm in his voice.

"What did you want to talk to me about?"

He became a little serious as he looked at Lizzie, "Lizzie, you helped me a lot while my father was dying and I will always appreciate that and while I hope that everyone in your life is healthy, I hope that one day I can return the favor."

Lizzie smiled, "Aww, thanks, Ethan!" she said, and she gave her friend a hug, "That means a lot to me."

Ethan continued, "I don't want you to be mad at me for what I am about to tell you, but since I think I remember you saying something about hating surprises, I want to tell you something. I think I owe you this much."

Lizzie gulped. She had a feeling it had something to do with the show, but Ethan always seemed full of surprises.

"Lizzie," he said, in a softer tone, "this is all a hoax."

"Really?" Lizzie said, acting surprised, "What do you mean?"

"I mean," he went on, "This is a set up."

Lizzie shifted in the chair to get a little more comfortable, "What do you mean?"

"I mean," Ethan said, "Your cousin, Miranda, and Gordo's roommate planned this out and this show was meant to bring you two together. She called Parker and me the other day and told us everything. I was worried that you two weren't getting along, but I'm glad that you two seem to be friends again. I can tell that he still likes you, Liz. You like him, don't you?"

"...Yeah," Lizzie said, still trying to take in what he was saying and trying to make it all come together, "wait, so you are saying this is rigged, right? I mean, like, the chances of Gordo and me going home today are like the chances of...hell freezing over?"

Ethan nodded his head, "Yeah, this is all about getting you and Gordo back together since you two have apparently been so miserable for the past five years."

"This is crazy," Lizzie said, mostly to herself.

"Yeah, well I just thought you might want to know."

"Oh, I'm glad you told me," Lizzie said, "I knew something was up, but now I know exactly what is going on I feel sane. I wonder if Gordo knows anything about this," Lizzie was basically talking to herself at this point, thinking aloud.

"I don't think he knows everything I told you," he said, "I mean, when I talked to him last night, he seemed pretty stressed out to begin with to tell you the truth. Liz, I'm a little worried about the guy, not that you mention it. If someone doesn't say something soon, I'm worried that you will leave here all 'unresolved' and stuff. I mean, don't you want to tell him how you feel?"

"Well, yeah," Lizzie said, "but I don't want to make a fool out of myself."

"Well, what do you think is worse...being a fool or never knowing what its like to be in a fool's shoes?"

Lizzie looked at Ethan, confused, "What?"

"You know what I mean," Ethan said, "Do unto others before they do unto you."

"Ethan..." Lizzie said, "Um, first of all, It's 'do unto others AS they would do unto you,' and second of all, what does that have to do with anything?"

"Liz, take the translation however you want to, but you should definitely consider telling him whether than waiting for him, because, I hate to admit it, but the guy isn't going to say anything without you giving him some sort of sign. I mean, have you two even talked about it?"

"Well," Lizzie said, thinking about the other night when they almost kissed...twice, "we've sort of talked about it and we almost kissed the other day."

"What stopped you?"

"We had to be somewhere."

Ethan stood up, flailing his arms, "Lizzie, you are hopeless! You two are stuck here for, like, two weeks, and as you two are getting closer and closer to each other, all you do is look for excuses! How did you two date in the first place?"

Lizzie shrugged, "I'm going to tell him," she said in defense, "I mean, I know I have to tell him, but I keep waiting for a perfect moment when I know for sure that I'm going to live happily ever after with him."

"Lizzie," Ethan said, sitting back down and looking right into Lizzie's eyes, "Take it from someone who waited months to think of the perfect thing to someone he loved and by the time he was ready it was too late: the sooner the better. In fact, as soon as we leave this afternoon, tell him. Just make sure something is said is too late. I'm counting on you. If I find out from Miranda or someone that you and Gordo don't have any plans for the future, I'm definitely intervening. You are a good girl who deserves great things. Don't miss this opportunity that sleeps next to you every night."

Lizzie smiled. It was almost like Ethan was telling her what her conscience was telling her, only since it was her conscience, she'd never said it out loud, and since she'd never said it, she'd never heard it, but now that she heard what she'd been telling herself all along, it gave her a little more confidence. She was going to wait as long as possible before telling him, but hearing Ethan talk just made her want to tell him as soon as possible, at least at that moment, anyway.

"Thanks," she said, and she gave her friend a hug. After that, they stood up, deciding that is was time they head back to the love hut.

"So," Ethan said, almost in a whisper, "do you think you're going to tell Gordo what I told you about this show?"

Lizzie shook her head, "I don't think so," she said, "I mean, no use in making the situation even more awkward than it is now."

When they reached the Love Hut, Gordo and Parker were sitting in the kitchen talking, even though they stopped talking once Lizzie and Ethan came into the room. Obviously, they were talking about Lizzie. Lizzie didn't realize that she and Ethan were gone for almost an hour.

"Hey," Lizzie said, disappearing into the bedroom to change her shirt, "what have you two been up to?"

"Oh, I showed Parker around the place a little," Gordo said. Ethan sat down, "We got back a while ago, and were just sitting here talking about...life. What about you and Ethan?" It was almost as if Ethan and Parker weren't even in the room.

"Oh," Lizzie said, appearing in the kitchen with a new shirt. She sat down next to Gordo, "Ethan and I were just catching up. I guess we lost track of time or something."

"Yeah, lunch is in a few minutes," Parker chipped in, looking at he watch, "maybe we should head over."

Gordo shrugged, "Okay," he said, "Ethan, Parker? Why don't you two go ahead and head over there? I just want to talk to Lizzie really quickly about something."

Lizzie and Ethan exchanged surprised looks and it was apparent that Parker was a little bit surprised and puzzled herself. "Okay," Ethan said, getting up, "come on, Parker, let's get good seats."

Parker got up and seconds later Parker and Ethan were gone and Lizzie and Gordo were left alone in the kitchen. Both sat there quietly for a few seconds and when Lizzie looked at Gordo, waiting for him to say something, he noticed he was starring at the table, only he looked like he was about to smile. But he wasn't saying anything.

Lizzie finally cleared her throat, because the quietness was killing her, "So..." she said, hoping that he would say something.

Gordo blinked at looked at Lizzie, "So..." he said, nervously, ""You know, Lizzie, if we go home today, I was thinking about it, and we might never see each other again."

Lizzie pursed her lips, nodding her head, and she took a deep breath, "I know."

"You do?" Gordo asked, waiting for her to say something, "Well, how do you feel about that?"

It was the million dollar question. It was awkward and the timing was far from perfect, but if Lizzie didn't say something, she knew that she would only be confusing Gordo even more. She'd been doing a lot of that lately...sending mixed signals. She knew how she felt, but she wanted to say something meaningful. It was her opportunity to tell him how she felt.

She waited a few seconds, maybe minutes, before she said something. She looked right into Gordo's eyes, and could tell that he was desperate for answers that only she could tell him. "I feel..." Lizzie started trying to think of how to tell him something suave in the few minutes they had until lunch. She knew they weren't leaving that day, but she tried to think of how she would feel if they were. She'd feel sad, she knew that much. She also knew that she didn't want to leave him no matter what. She knew that if they left without sharing their feelings, she would never have the closure she needed or marry her soul mate.

"Lizzie..." Gordo said, reaching out his hand to touch hers, hoping it would help her, but she still seemed a little lost. He smiled, even though she didn't say anything that gave him answers, "Please know that no matter what happens today, I haven't given up on you, okay? If we have to leave today and go back to LA and Chicago, I won't forget about you okay?" Gordo got up and looked at Lizzie, who still wasn't saying anything, even though a tear dropped from her cheek. He started to open the door, still looking at her, "Lizzie, just know this: we are not leaving each other without some type of...understanding."

Gordo waited a few more seconds before left, closing the door on his way out. He shook his head as he walked to lunch, knowing what he said didn't make anything better. He wanted to tell her how he felt, but wanted the timing to be perfect and when he saw her start to cry, he chickened out.

As soon as the door closed, Lizzie sighed, "I love you, Gordo," she said aloud. She knew that he couldn't hear her now, but hoped that they would leave with that same understanding.

(TBC)

A/N: Ooh...what's going to happen now? When will these two stop obsessing over their feelings and speak up? Who will speak up first? Will they be parting as friends or more?

I don't usually give hints to anyone, but here are a few hints for the next chapter or two:

Just when things are starting to look up, chaos ensues and as a result, at least one of the beloved persons in the love hut wonders if they were not meant to be after all. This is so big, controversial, and unpredictable, neither Greg, Gracie, nor Ted could come up with this, and some of you might question if this is the beginning of the end; if all hope is lost; if I, the Queen, have gone mad; or If I'm just preparing for a sequel...anything is possible with this monarchy.

I'm telling you this also because you should know this next chapter might take a little longer than expected and to have patience in these next few weeks. Thanks and quack out!


	29. Chapter Twenty Nine

A/N: Ever been really stressed? Yeah, well, that's what I am right now over a lot of things so I'm really sorry for not updating sooner and if you hate what I did with this story after this chapter, I'm also really sorry. I'm really sorry if I offend anyone, but I promise you this story isn't over and things will get better. This is a really hard chapter to write and I'm sorry it took so long, but I needed the time to think about the direction of this story. Things have cleared up a little now.

As for typos, pretty soon I am going to go through a massive clean up and edit all the previous chapters.

Chapter Twenty-Nine

"Today," Ryan started as everyone arrived, "We have to let one of you lovely couples go. In order to do this, we are going to split you up with your former significant other. This is a game that involves trust and stability. These are two more key factors that go into a relationship."

Ryan asked everyone to follow him as they walked away from their house and headed to a different area, which no one had ever seen before. The area was wooded and there was a set up that involved what looked like a large pit, which was covered for the time being, so they couldn't see what was underneath. Above the pit, there were narrow pieces of wood. This was enough to have Lizzie freaked out. Then again, no one looked too excited about this mission. They knew what they were hiding was some type of animal.

"Now, most of you are probably wondering what we are hiding underneath there. Well, you will find out in a few minutes, but first let me explain to you what you need to do to complete this activity. You see, the way this works is that all of you will cross this pit, but the four of you will be blind folded and they guys will have to tell them what to do. The only catch is that only your roommate and his or her ex can watch you, but they can say nothing. If they say anything, you will be disqualified. This will be a timed competition, so in the event that more than one person falls, there will be a rematch."

A few moments later, what was underneath was revealed. It was a pit of snakes. Lizzie didn't know quite what to think of this. She knew that she would be blindfolded and that yeah, she trusted Ethan, but this was not something she was looking forward to doing. Gordo felt practically the same way, but wasn't about to complain about it or anything. Most of all, he worried about Lizzie. He knew didn't like certain animals, especially spiders and snakes, and wondered how calm she would be about this.

The whole thing was crazy. Mary went first and the word got out that she slipped. This was not a good way to start everything and Lizzie was not looking forward to being stuck with Elizabeth's character if that was the way it was going to go down. However, Lizzie managed to get across with little trouble. Ethan was a good guide and seemed to realize that Lizzie didn't like this one bit. This eased Gordo a little bit. Elizabeth also seemed to make it across with little difficulty. It seemed pretty apparent, even after George and his ex crossed cleanly, that Mary and George would be going home. Everyone seemed to make it across without much difficulty after Mary. Lizzie wondered if this was a set up. Sort of like if they were testing how she would size up to this bitch named Elizabeth. She didn't say anything, but she sort of resented the fact that Mary couldn't be with her for the rest of this. She would have to convince herself that Elizabeth was just staying in character and she wasn't like this in real life.

It all happened so quickly, though. After the challenge was over, they went back and Greg made it official that Mary and George were going home and bid farewell to the extra people who came and thanked them for their help. Two hours later, everyone was packed up and gone…and then there were four.

Lizzie didn't think that things couldn't get any worse after that day, but then again, the world hadn't been on her side lately. The rest of the day went by fairly smoothly. Lizzie refused to even try to deal with Elizabeth until dinner, and even then, nothing was really said. Lizzie didn't think she would be so upset over this game, but everything was getting so unnerving. Even if whatever Elizabeth said could be discounted for because she was acting, Lizzie didn't want to get into it. She felt too frustrated to deal with anything. She didn't even want to talk to Gordo. She thought she was so ready to talk to Gordo, but she wasn't. She had all these things going on that were getting to her that she just didn't want to deal with people. After dinner, she went right to bed. She didn't care what the producers had to say.

She didn't expect to be this upset over Mary's absence, but she realized that she wasn't just upset about Mary's absence. It was the whole game. She had a past with Gordo and didn't want the whole world to be aware of her past. Being with Gordo over the past few days made her realize how much she still loved him, but she hated falling in love with him like this. She just wanted to go back to her own life and get away from this reality show setting. She wanted to be able to actually converse with Gordo about everything…knowing that they weren't sleeping in the same bed that night. She wanted time away from him to figure out some things, and she wanted out of this crappy show. She wasn't an actress and she'd never felt like such a liar and slut in her life. She had so many unfinished demons involving Gordo and the past that she could no longer bear this lie that the whole world would know her for.

At least, that's what she thought about that night. She was overwhelmed by a lot of things and knew that if she could just get a few hours to herself to handle all these emotions, she would be okay…for the time being. She lay in bed almost half the night trying to think about all these things and trying to decided if they were worth handling. Gordo offered to listen when he noticed she was upset, but Lizzie refused, knowing that if Gordo knew half the things she was thinking, he'd want out of this himself.

Lizzie hated knowing that the whole world was watching a lie. The only positive thing that came out of this besides the money (which, at this point, didn't matter) was getting to know Gordo again. However, she didn't know if this was good or bad because at this rate, they could leave each other on worse terms than they did before. Gordo was nice enough to offer that he find somewhere else to sleep that night, which made Lizzie grateful.

When Lizzie finally fell asleep that night, she had a lot to sleep on. Whether things happened between her and Gordo or not by the end of this, she would always be living a lie.

When Gordo agreed to sleep somewhere else, the producers offered that he could sleep in the small house that was occupied by Mary and George. Gordo accepted this offer, and while he was happy that he could finally have a night to himself to think about everything, he had a feeling that whatever was going through Lizzie's head was ten times as worse, and for this, he also stayed up a little longer than he expected. He wondered if he would ever get a good night's sleep again. More importantly, however, he wondered if he would ever get a chance to speak to Lizzie again.

The next day, Lizzie tried to wake up with a completely different attitude. She had one more day of this before it would be over for the time being. She thought she scared the producers with the way she acted the night before because their was no meeting to go to and no one gave them any instructions as to go about this final day. She would have no competition until the next day, so today seemed like a good day o hang out. Lizzie accepted this as a truth and convinced herself to make it though the day fearless and possibly see if there was a better side to Elizabeth

Lizzie ate breakfast by herself and took a shower and got dressed for the day before leaving the love hut to see what was going on. She slept in until about ten, which was unusually late for Lizzie, but Lizzie was glad she got the extra sleep for the sake of her sanity. The long shower she took helped a lot, too. She didn't really want to deal with anyone, but she knew she would have to, so when she found out that Gordo was staying in the small house, she knocked on the door, hoping to have a chance to thank Gordo for letting her be by herself and possibly get a chance to say some things she'd been wanting to say…but she wanted to see how everything went first. She hoped, most importantly, that he hadn't taken her request personally.

When she knocked, it took a few seconds before he answered the door. It appeared that he had just woken up himself, and was just getting out of the shower, "Hey!" he said, opened the door wider to let her in, "I was worried that you were going to be one of the producers of the show or something."

Lizzie walked in and said nothing as she just looked at him, we from just getting out of the shower, wearing nothing but pants. He smiled, as if he expected her to say something, but she didn't. She cleared her throat, "Um, would you mind putting a shirt on or something?" It wasn't anything personal, but she knew that it was going to be really hard to have a conversation with someone who wasn't wearing a shirt. He looked too good without a shirt on to take seriously.

He disappeared and reappeared as he was putting the shirt on and asked if she wanted to go to the living room. The small house was a little larger than the love hut and it actually had a living room. Lizzie agreed, although she wasn't sure how long this conversation would take and if it was worth taking it somewhere else.

"So," he said, unusually happy, which made Lizzie wonder what was up with him, "are you feeling better?" he did look a little worried as he asked this and put his hand on her arm to comfort her.

Lizzie nodded, "I am, actually," she said, "and that's why I wanted to come over here and talk to you."

Gordo's heart beat a little faster. Maybe this would be her moment of truth. Maybe this would be her time to confess about how much she …

Her words interrupted his thoughts, "Gordo, thank you so much for letting me be by myself last night. I really needed that time to think about a lot of things that have been going on in my mind lately and I appreciate it more than you know."

Gordo smiled, although he was a little upset, "well," he rubbed her arm, "you looked upset last night and I figured you could use that time and truthfully, I needed a little time myself."

Lizzie smiled, "Yeah, I guess this whole thing has been a little overwhelming."

Gordo nodded his head, "Yeah, I agree. Do you feel a little better now?"

Lizzie sighed. This worried Gordo, because the sigh didn't seem very uplifting, "I don't know…I guess I'm just a little frustrated, you know? I mean, I've always wondered what it would be like to see you again, but I didn't ever think it would, especially with cameras and everything. I feel like this is all a lie and for the rest of my life, I'll be Tory and you'll be Daniel and if anything happens to us, we'll always be Tory and Daniel. People will never know the real us and never appreciate who we are and what we've been through in the past. I don't want to be in the public's eye Gordo. I don't want to be in People magazine and have offers to go on talk shows and…I most of all just want to be normal."

Gordo nodded. So this was what she was thinking about all night. He hadn't really thought about the entire outcome with the show and everything, but she had a point. He didn't know what to say to this, mostly because he couldn't make the producers abolish this program. They signed a contract and they couldn't get out of it. He never thought that if they won, they would be living a lie. The more time he was Daniel, the more he hated Daniel, but he assumed he could stop being Daniel as soon as this was all over. But maybe he couldn't. He hated watching Lizzie as she looked as if she was going to cry. He felt partially to blame for this. He pulled her closer to her and could only say, "It's going to be okay, Liz, It'll be okay."

Lizzie sniffed as she leaned her head on Gordo's shoulder, "Do you really think it will be okay?"

Gordo nodded, not that he believed himself, but because he knew this was not a good time to be critical, "Most reality TV stars have their five minutes of fame and go back to their own life. People won't care for that long and we can do whatever we want for the rest of our lives. We don't have to tell anyone else who we really are and people can think what they want to think…no matter what really happens."

Lizzie didn't seem too convinced, but she didn't really want to talk about it any longer. She pulled herself together and got up from the couch, to Gordo's disappointment. He was pretty sure they were going to have a moment of truth when she was in his hands, but she got up before anything could happen that would cause their relationship to progress. Because of what Lizzie said, however, Gordo seemed a little more convinced that his feelings were mutual and part of the reason Lizzie wasn't doing anything about it was not because she didn't like him, but because the whole world was watching them and this made Lizzie uncomfortable.

Lizzie sat down in the chair across from him for a few minutes, trying to sort everything that was going on in her head, particularly the things that were going on with Gordo. If they left tomorrow, there wouldn't be any closure and certain demons and feelings of guilt might never be set free. She might live the rest of her life the same depressed chick she was before, feeling worse and living a lie.

And if she and Gordo left on good terms, knowing that there was still a chance, she wondered how long it would last. She wondered if she told Gordo EVERYTHING that happened over that last five years, would he be able to accept certain things? Would it be easy to come to terms with a new beginning when so much of the past could get in the way?

Gordo watched her, as she seemed as though she was sorting things out. He wondered if he should take a change and ask her what she was thinking about. He wanted to let her know he cared about her, but he couldn't tell if she wanted to share what she was thinking. He decided to resist and finish getting ready for the day and leave her there for as long as she wanted to be there.

Lizzie heard a knock on the door and that interrupted her thoughts. She got up and answered the door, to be greeted by Elizabeth on the other side, "Hey," Elizabeth said, "we were wondering if you would ever come out of this place. Would you and Daniel like to have lunch with us?"

"Um…" Lizzie started, trying to figure out what time it was and pull her thoughts together, "sure. We'll be ready in a few minutes. We'll meet you in the dining room?"

Elizabeth smiled, "sounds great. I'll see you in a few minutes."

Gordo appeared and Lizzie told him what was going on, "Are you sure you want to eat with them? I mean, we don't have to if we don't want to."

Lizzie rolled her eyes, "Gordo, I really want to convince myself that Elizabeth is only acting like a bitch. The only way I can figure that out is if we spend time with her."

"Okay," Gordo said, a little skeptical. He didn't know what to make of anything right then, but decided to go along with it. He had a feeling that by the end of the day, he would have the opportunity to talk to Lizzie and both of them would leave this place a little, if not a lot, happier and settled then they were before, whether the world would watch them or not.

They arrived in the dining room and the set up looked pretty amazing, even though it was nothing spectacular. The table was smaller and was set for four. Gordo and Lizzie sat on one side and Elizabeth and George sat on the other side. The room seemed so much bigger than it did before, with all the extra space gained from the smaller table. For lunch, they had cheeseburgers and French fries, which was refreshing.

"I can't believe this is our last day here," Elizabeth said, "I mean, I feel like I've been here forever and known all of you all my life."

Lizzie smiled, "Yeah, its pretty weird that we will all be leaving tomorrow."

They ate and Elizabeth seemed very cordial as they talked about the past week and the various things that happened. Lizzie hoped that Elizabeth was always like this and liked the fact that there wasn't a camera around as they ate. George and Gordo chimed in a little, but it was a pleasant lunch. They were asked to do some interviews and were told that they would be filming that afternoon, but Lizzie felt like she could at least leave here knowing that the real Elizabeth was more human than evil.

After the interviews, they all hung out outside. It was a beautiful day and they sat there and talked a little more about their personal lives. The cameras were there, so Lizzie had a feeling that she could expect to feel a little dominated.

Little did she know that whatever was about to happen might break her and Gordo forever.

It all started when Elizabeth lit her cigarette. Gordo, because he was Gordo, said something along the lines of, "You know those things will kill you, right?"

Elizabeth rolled her eyes, and exhaled, "Yeah, so what's your point?"

Gordo shrugged, "All I'm saying is that as a friend, I don't want you to die."

Elizabeth took the cigarette out of her mouth for a minute, still not looking all that impressed, "Daniel, you've known me for eight days and you've seen me smoke dozens of times. Why, now, are you trying to get into this?"

Gordo shrugged. He didn't really mean to start something, however, he felt the need to stick up for himself, "I'm sorry I spoke up, but as a son of two doctors, I just figured I might remind you."

Elizabeth seemed less than impressed, "Do you always go around preaching people for things you don't approve of?" She turned to Lizzie, "Tory, does he treat you like this?"

Lizzie shook her head, "Hey, Dan, why don't you just stop it, okay?" he said, hoping Gordo would take the hint.

Gordo shrugged it off, "Okay, fine. I'm sorry."

"Okay, then," Elizabeth said, "apology accepted. I'm sorry myself. I know you are well intentioned, but believe me, I have had it up to here with guys trying to tell girls what to do with their lives as if they own them."

"Well, I wasn't trying to do that, you can do whatever you want to do," Gordo said.

Elizabeth rolled her eyes, "You know, before I left, my friend found out she was pregnant, and you know, because she's trying to go to graduate school, she decided she would, you know have an abortion."

Lizzie had a feeling she wasn't going to like where this was going. She had a feeling that this was going to become somewhat of a moment of truth for her that she most dreaded.

"Anyway, her boyfriend found out she was pregnant going to have an abortion and flipped out because he didn't think she should have an abortion. She had it, though, and they broke up. I told her that, you know, she had the right to making her own choice and he wasn't good enough for her because he didn't want her to make her own decisions. That's why she didn't tell him she was pregnant in the first place."

"Wait…what? She wasn't going to tell him she was pregnant? She wasn't going to tell the father of her child that she was pregnant?" Gordo asked. Lizzie bit her lip, "How did he find out, then?"

"The doctor called and he picked up, but that's not important. Do you realize how many babies are abandoned each year because their father insisted that they would be carried to full term? Do you realize that thousands of babies don't have a father because of this?"

"Well, yeah," Gordo said, "But the father has a right to know what is going on and also has a right to his opinion."

Lizzie was feeling more and more uncomfortable. She wanted to leave, but didn't know how to leave without making it obvious that she was bothered by something.

"But it's her choice. Whether she told him or not about the pregnancy is unimportant because it was her choice. Maybe she should have told him, but she had her reasons and she didn't feel like she was ready to have a child."

Gordo shook his head, "I'm sorry, and I know there are a lot of lousy fathers out there, but they deserve to know what is going on and if a couple is comfortable enough about having sex, they should be comfortable enough with having a discussion about options."

Elizabeth rolled her eyes once more, "You are such a pig, you know that?"

"What?" Gordo said, defensively, "I'm a male. If I got a woman pregnant, whether I loved her or not, I'd want to know what was going on. I'd also want the opportunity to be there with her and discuss what possible things we could do. A mother has a right to make a choice, but the father has a right to know and a right to his own opinion. I don't know your friend or her ex-boyfriend, however, so I don't mean to make this personal."

Lizzie couldn't take it anymore. As she sat there, she silently started crying and Gordo didn't even look at her once and notice she was crying. Lizzie cleared her throat and stood up and headed towards the Love Hut.

"Where are you going?" Gordo called, getting up and running after her. He tried to put his hands on her arms and when she saw she was crying, he asked, "what's wrong? Are you okay?"

Lizzie shook him off angrily, though, "Gordo, what you just said back there made me realize why I'm having so much difficulty coming to terms with everything I'm feeling and how different you and I are after all."

"What?" Gordo asked, confused, "What do you mean?"

Lizzie glared at Gordo as she started to walk away, "Everything you said back there," she pointed over that the others who were about fifty yards away and quickly turned when she pointed, "I took personally."

Lizzie ran ahead and slammed the door of the Love Hut before Gordo could make any sense of what Lizzie just said. He stood there, staring at the door, hoping she would explain herself, but she didn't. He didn't know what to do and he didn't know what the problem was with Lizzie.

Lizzie knew what the problem was, however. The demon that she tried so hard to forget about over the past five years or so and especially recently had resurfaced.

Five years ago, Lizzie McGuire had an abortion.


	30. Chapter Thirty

A/N: I didn't really want to leave a heavy cliffhanger like that, which is why I decided to post this chapter as well.

Chapter Thirty

Lizzie McGuire was not very good at keeping secrets. When she was a sophomore in high school and she heard Kate Sanchez' parents found cigarettes in her room, she didn't think twice before telling Gordo and Miranda about this and laughing about it. She liked to know what was going on and she liked talking about it. In fact, she told secrets about Miranda to Gordo and vice versa. Gordo knew that Miranda didn't get into USC because Lizzie told her and Miranda knew Gordo almost made a C in chemistry because the night before a lab was due, Lizzie distracted him. This went on pretty much through high school and even when Gordo and Lizzie were dating, they still shared secrets…unless the secret involved Lizzie, of course.

Lizzie and Gordo broke up on pretty nasty terms. Lizzie never wanted to speak to Gordo again and Gordo didn't care to speak to her either. When they went on their separate ways, Gordo assumed that they broke up and that would be the end of the story of Lizzie and Gordo.

It wasn't though. Lizzie found out the day before Gordo was going to leave for the summer program at his college, Northwestern University, that she was pregnant. It was the middle of June and Lizzie noticed that she was late and figured it was due to stress, but doctors confirmed that she was, indeed, expecting. Lizzie didn't want to tell anyone about it…not Miranda, not her parents, and definitely not Gordo, however, she knew she had to think about all of this. Ultimately, she confided in her mother and Jo told her it was her decision and she would respect any decision Lizzie made and try to be there for her when she needed support. After thinking about her future, and how to tell Gordo everything and considering her recent past with Gordo, Lizzie decided to get an abortion. Her mother promised never to tell anyone about this, other than her father, and she went with Lizzie up to a woman's clinic an hour away from Hill Ridge.

Lizzie never told anyone about this and when she was recovering that July, she just told Miranda that she had really bad food poisoning. That was the end of that.

Lizzie had her reasons for not telling Gordo. She knew that Gordo, despite their recent problems, would want to "do the right thing" and be with her and everything, which was something she wasn't willing to handle. Her mother didn't agree with her about this, but understood that Lizzie had a right to her own privacy and was just glad that she told her so she could have someone to be with. Lizzie had immense amount of guilt after she went through with it, knowing that if Gordo ever found out, he would hate her forever. She also seemed to struggle with coming to terms with what all had happened. She started college depressed and one weekend, while she was at home, her mother suggested that for closure, she might want to at least call Gordo and talk to him.

Lizzie thought she was ready and dialed his cell phone number that night. It rang four or five times, but he didn't pick up. Lizzie hung up and decided she never wanted to try calling him again. What if he did pick up one day? What would she say?

Eventually, through psychological guidance, Lizzie came to terms and was able to get on with her life. She managed to convince herself that she made the best decision for herself. She still never told Miranda about this and never told anyone else what she went through, mainly because she figured everyone would judge her.

Lately, among all these other thoughts she'd been having, she wondered if she should tell Gordo the truth about everything. She knew that if they did have a relationship after this, she would have to eventually, and this scared her. It scared her more and more everyday as she struggled to come to terms with what was happening. This was the one demon that was standing in her way from spending the rest of her life with Gordo.

Gordo didn't know any of this, however, and was still trying to make sense of what Lizzie had just said. Lizzie seemed really upset for some reason, and Gordo really wanted to get to the bottom of this. They were talking about choices when Lizzie seemed to get upset. Maybe Lizzie took that personally because made a choice that she didn't think Gordo would like. She started toward the hut and knocked on the door, "Will you please just talk to me?" Gordo called, "I want to talk to you and I want to know what is bothering you. Maybe we can work it out."

There was no response, though, and Gordo decided to return to Elizabeth and James. Maybe they would have a better idea of what was going on. "Is she okay, man?" James asked.

Gordo shook his head, "I have know idea what is going on. All she said was 'I took it personally,' and that was that."

Elizabeth and James exchanged looks and Elizabeth put out her cigarette, "Daniel," Elizabeth started as she leaned in a little closer, "I don't want to jump to conclusions but do you think you offended her with going off about abortion?"

"I don't see how that could have offended her. It's not like she'd had an…" Gordo stopped. Or had she? He didn't know for sure.

Elizabeth spoke up, "If I were you, Danny, I would assume that this could be about anything."

"Right," Gordo said, still stuck on the idea that Lizzie might have had an abortion. It made sense in a weird way, but at the same time, Lizzie didn't seem like the kind of person that would get an abortion. Maybe after all these years, they had changed after all. He stood up, "Maybe I should try to talk to her."

Elizabeth nodded, "Yeah, maybe so."

"Good luck, man," James said.

Gordo walked slowly toward the hut trying to come up with any other conclusion. It was true that he didn't know her at all over the past five years, but he thought she distinctly said that she hadn't had anything serious since him. Maybe she lied, though. Gordo really didn't know what to make of any of this.

Once again, he tried knocking on the door, "Lizzie," he said, trying to sound calm, "Lizzie, can we please talk? Something is obviously bothering you and I think if I offended you we should at least try to talk about it. Lizzie?"

"Go away!" Lizzie yelled, "I don't want to talk to you right now because I'll only upset you."

"You won't upset me. Please, Lizzie, I promise you'll feel better if you talk about this. I'll understand."

A few minutes of this passed and Lizzie finally gave in. When she opened the door, Gordo could tell that she was really upset. "Don't hate me, Gordo," she whispered as she let him come in, "Please, don't hate me."

Gordo entered, shaking his head, "How could I ever hate you? You'll always be perfect in my eyes, Lizzie."

Lizzie sniffed and walked into the bedroom, not convinced that he would feel the same way in a few minutes. Gordo followed. Lizzie sat down on the bed and Gordo sat next to her and took her hand and rested it on his lap. "Lizzie," he asked, with a concerned look on his face, "why are you so upset."

Lizzie sighed, unable to look at him, so she looked down, "Gordo, there is something I never told you that I think I should have told you a long time ago, but it was hard for me at the time and," Lizzie said, choking up, "and I didn't want to deal with it."

Gordo gulped. "Go on," he encouraged.

"Gordo, I had an abortion."

Lizzie looked at Gordo to see how he was handling the news. He looked as if he didn't know what to say, "Okay," he finally said, "and when did this happen? Recently? A few years ago? While you were in college?"

Something very important wasn't getting through Gordo's head. Gordo had yet to realize that he almost fathered a child.

Lizzie looked down as she tried desperately to think of words to say that would let him know. She was a mess. The only thing she could do was look up and shake her head.

"Did you know the father, Lizzie? Did you love the father? Did you tell the father. Did the father hurt you, Lizzie? Did the father try to talk you out of it? Was he supportive?" It pained Gordo to talk about the idea that Lizzie might have loved someone after their history, but he knew that she needed to know that he was okay with it."

He still was trying to get to the bottom of what offended her. He wasn't against the idea of abortion, he was only against the idea of not telling the guy about it.

"Y-you," he pointed at him with the hand he wasn't holding. It was the only thing she could say.

"What about me, Lizzie? Are you afraid that I'm going to be mad or something?"

Lizzie nodded and Gordo pulled Lizzie to him to give her comfort, "It's okay, Lizzie, I promise you I won't get mad. I've fallen in love with you these past few days and there is nothing you can say that will change my mind."

Lizzie calmed down a little and nodded her head, "Yes, I knew the fa-ther. I loved him, too. I n-never t-old him and he n-ever h-hurt m-me."

Gordo comforted her, thinking he realized how he offended her. She never told the father about it. "Lizzie, you know, have you ever talked to anyone about this? You know, like a psycologist? They can help you if you need help. I'll go with you."

Lizzie shook her head, "No, Gordo, I mean, yes, I saw some people, but this all happened a long time ago."

"Oh," Gordo said, wondering if he knew the guy. It was none of his business, but if it happened that long ago, who knew?

"Gordo," Lizzie said, closing her eyes to gain some type of courage. She knew what she had to say, "Gordo, it was you who was going to be the father."

Gordo blinked, let go of Lizzie's hand and looked right at Lizzie, "what?"

"I found out right as you were leaving about it. I didn't know what to do."

Gordo stood up, trying to register what he never considered. "You mean to tell me that I could be a father?"

Lizzie nodded, "Well, yeah, but it was right after we broke up and I was still angry at you."

Gordo shook his head. He wasn't taking this news very well, but he felt like he needed to get to the bottom of it, "Lizzie, I would have understood. You should never have gone through that alone…you never told me? You never stopped to think, 'well, I know I'm mad at the father, but he might like to know what is going on?? How?"

"Gordo," Lizzie said, getting a little defensive, "Looking back, I know I should have told you what was going on and told you every single detail of how I managed to cope through breaking up with you and get an abortion in one summer, but at the time, I never wanted to speak to you. It was hard Gordo, but I felt guilty enough with it all and didn't see a point in making two people feel guilty."

"Yeah, but we loved each other, Lizzie. I thought I was going to marry you and we would be starting a family by now."

"Well, we didn't live each other anymore, did we? I didn't want you to feel obligated to marry me when we still wanted to kill each other. I didn't want this child to be resented. I didn't want you to know how weak of a person I am."

Gordo thought about what she said, "I would have married you, Lizzie. I still loved you then, and we would have not had to waste all these years hating each other. In fact, I don't think I ever stopped loving you. It would have been my pleasure to have married you, Lizzie."

"Well, what about college? I was not going to go to college pregnant and I didn't want people to start assuming things. People knew how I felt about you. Had I given birth to a child, people would have assumed that I was a slut. I didn't want that. I wanted privacy. I don't regret having an abortion, Gordo, and I honestly don't think you do either. I just think you are mad at me for not telling you. I knew you would want to do what was right, but I didn't want that type of embarrassment. I went through hell that summer, Gordo. No one knew what type of hell I was going through. Not Miranda, not Ethan, and not you. I told my mom, but that was it."

Gordo shook his head, "I just don't understand how you could be so stubborn. I'm not like other guys. Whether we were together or not, I had a right to know what was going on. It only took a phone call."

"Only a phone call?" Lizzie asked, "Gordo, you and I hated each other. I wanted tocastrate you before I found out I was pregnant. When I found out, though, I realized how important you were in my life and yes, I struggled, but between raising a child at eighteen and aborting it, I did what I felt was right for me. I wanted to talk to you about all this stuff, but I didn't know how to, seeing as you still thought I was with Ethan. Going into college, I was depressed. I was seeing someone once a week and struggling to come to terms with the fact that we were no longer together. I came home one weekend and my mom tried to convince me to call you for some type of closure. It took a while to dial, but when I finally did, you didn't answer and I decided it was too hard to try to call you again. That being said, however, I needed time to myself to figure things out. I'm sorry you never stopped loving me and I'm sure I never really stopped loving you, but I did not want to be reminded of what happened when I looked at my child."

Gordo sighed, "I'm sorry, but it's hard for me to not get upset. I feel like this could have been an opportunity to talk about what happened and not go through college so jumbled with relationships. I could argue with you about this for days, but I don't think that would get us anywhere."

"You promised you wouldn't get mad," Lizzie said, "You were the one who insisted that I tell you."

"Well," Gordo said as he proceeded to leave the room, "You should have told me five years ago." Gordo left and walked off to the little house and slammed the door behind him. He felt so betrayed by all of this.

(end of chapter)

A/N: I'll try my best to update and get this issue somewhat resolved by the end of the week. I'm sorry it took so long.


	31. Announcement

Sequel Announcement

First of all, I'm sorry this took so long. It really shouldn't have, but I was trying to figure out how I was going to resolve this story with less than five chapters, and you know what? I couldn't do it. The more I thought about it, the more I leaned toward making a sequel. The sequel will probably not throw as many surprises at you and it will definitely be shorter than this, but I think what I have planned for the future of this story justifies as a sequel. Don't hate me if it ends in a way you didn't expect it to end.

Expect the first chapter soon.

Your Humble Queen,

2 Duckie 2


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